Local volunteers, NeighborWorks help Palmer family

PALMER — Bill Cress’s childhood fantasy of traveling to Alaska began after reading Jack London’s “Call of the Wild.”

He came to Alaska in 1989, as a young man, to work for the Red Dog Mine. Fast forward to 2003 when Cress, with the help of a coworker, purchased a modest home on Springer Loop in Palmer. Cress said he instantly loved the house because of its country charm and the way it reminded him of his childhood.

An U.S. Army veteran, Cress served in Germany during the Vietnam War. This bear of a man, exceedingly polite and visibly humble, wears walking casts on each leg, the result of multiple difficulties and countless surgeries. After raising a family and finding himself single again, Cress met Rita Kloeber a Lithuania native, single mom, living in Germany. They corresponded, arranged a meeting, and eventually Kloeber moved to Alaska.

“I loved (Alaska) from the very first moment,” Kloeber said. “It felt like home.”

Kloeber and her two young children, Christian and Jewels, quickly adapted to Palmer life. Thanks to wonderful neighbors, Kloeber said, her children fit right in. They attended school and classes together, and become best friends.

“But when everything is good with your family” said Kloeber, “you are unaware of others’ problems.”

Cress’ involvement with local Boy Scout food drives brought the couple’s attention to MY House and the number of homeless teens in the Valley. Cress and Kloeber discussed the issue and decided that they could do something; they could open their home to a child in need. Cognizant of Kloeber’s own children, the couple decided that they should try and help a child the same age or younger than Christian and Jewels. They applied to be foster parents. Two-week-old In the fall of 2013, 2-week-old Tristan entered their lives on a moment’s notice. Then on New Year’s Eve, little Chaisy joined their family.

“We thought we could give a couple of kids a chance,” Cress said. Both are the children of single moms struggling to get their own lives in order. Cress and Kloeber have high hopes for these children and their moms, providing for visits, and working toward overnight stays.

But while helping others, Cress and Kloeber faced issues of their own. Rising medical bills and resulting physical limitations prevented Cress from basic maintenance on his home.

“I believe in the goodness of people,” said Cress. So when help came his way through NeighborWorks, an Anchorage non-profit, “I’d be the last to complain,” he said softly.

NeighborWorks a progressive non-profit offers communities a variety of much-needed services, including this “Paint the Town” a home beautification program, education on buying and financing a home, and other programs that help families to learn and grow. An important aspect of this non-profit is working in cooperation with community organizations to provide for the needs of the homeless, working poor, and veterans struggling to make ends meet.

So of course, NeighborWorks, with its cooperative mentality teamed with two of the Valley’s most supportive businesses, MTA and Home Depot. To celebrate June as National Homeownership Month, NeighborWorks initiated its first Palmer home as part of the Paint the Town Program.

On Thursday morning, under threatening skies that did nothing to dampen the spirit of the group, more than 30 volunteers gathered to paint, plant, and decorate. Although participants committed to a day of hard work, the atmosphere was jovial; the excitement contagious with a pervasive feeling of good will. Both young and old gathered to lend a hand.

MTA volunteers headed by Shawn Osborne, included employees who were veterans of previous Paint the Town projects in Eagle River. For some this was their fifth year of volunteering. MTA provided labor and equipment to assist with Harold the Dragon.

“(Paint the Town) provides an amazing difference for people,” Osborne said, “and it gives our employees a great sense of doing something very special for someone else.”

Home Depot Wasilla joined forces with NeighborWorks for the first time. Manager Merry Holmes said that the compnay offers grants to various organizations for renovation needs. Previous local projects include assisting Am Vets No. 13 with meeting room remodeling and plans to work on American Legion needs.

“We jumped at the chance to help a veteran and his family,” Holmes said.

Home Depot provided paint, supplies, wood, soil and plants to the project. Their 11 volunteers came on their own time and included children and friends. When workers discovered rot in the back porch, Holmes did not hesitate to send an employee back to Home Depot Wasilla to bring wood and hardware to build a new porch.

NeighborWorks volunteers and administrators helped organize the event, identified the family, provided logistics on site, and rolled up their collective shirtsleeves to paint and work.

An Anchorage firm, FA, prepped the home prior to the arrival of Thursday’s crew. They power-washed the buildings, caulked cracks and holes, and painted eaves.

As the day began crews taped trim, covered windows with plastic, spray painted, and then back-brushed the house and garage. Other volunteers rebuilt the back steps, while gardeners added soil to a newly constructed raised-bed planter and then added tomatoes, cucumbers and other veggies. A small flower garden artfully appeared at the side of the house. The crews even added a bit of whimsy in the form of Harold the Dragon a multifaceted climb-on toy constructed of cleverly placed tractor tires and a festively painted dragon head.

In tandem with the spirit of community support and cooperation, the groups thank Norena whose father Richard Hornan owned the tires. The group named the dragon Richard in honor of the donation.

NeighborWorks staff say they look forward to future Paint the Town Projects in the Valley. The non-profit says it also is considering expanding to include a Valley office to fill a gap in home ownership and home financing education.

At the close of the workday, the sun shone brightly on the newly painted house, and the group posed with the family for a final photo.

“This was wonderful,” Kloeber said. “We are so, so grateful. This is beyond everything I could imagine. Like a fresh new house in just one day!”

For more information visit nwanchorage.org.