One Million Volunteer Hours, One Life-Changing Impact: Paula Maloney’s Story

Without the million hours our volunteers have poured into the Paint-A-Thon the past 46 years, homeowners like Paula Maloney wouldn’t have experienced the transformative impact of renewed hope and revitalized homes. And in some cases, like Maloney’s, they could’ve been left without a home.

Maloney is a single, 80-year-old woman living with a disability in her longtime Thornton mobile home. Her home is located at a major corner lot in a mobile home park and has been struck by two cars over the years. One of the accidents involved a drunk driver and knocked over a telephone pole which then penetrated the exterior wall of the home, nearly hitting Maloney while she slept.

Maloney was forced to pay for repairs for the damage the drunk driver caused at her home. But her problems with maintaining her home had just begun.

Her trailer park lot’s management office gave her an eviction notice telling her that she needed to paint the exterior of her home, do intense landscaping, clean up any junk, and fix broken skirting.

Feeling overwhelmed and with nowhere else to turn, Maloney learned about Brothers Redevelopment’s Paint-A-Thon program. After applying, her life changed when volunteers from Dordt University kicked off the 46th annual Paint-A-Thon in March at Maloney’s home. The group spent the day painting her house, trimming trees, cleaning gutters inside and out, carefully caulking any seams at risk of water damage, and helping clean up the exterior of the house.

“When you’re 80 years old, and you think that you’ll be evicted — yeah, it makes you feel very nervous. Just at the time I received the notice, (Brothers) reached out to me,” said Maloney. “It came together exactly at the right time.”

Stories like Maloney’s remind us of the incredible impact volunteers can have. It’s because of those million hours, given selflessly by countless individuals, that neighbors can remain in their homes, feel safe, and experience the joy of a revitalized space. Brothers is eternally grateful for everyone who has ever picked up a paintbrush, wielded a hammer, or lent a helping hand at the Paint-A-Thon.

“I just didn’t know what to do, and (I had) nowhere to go. You don’t know how grateful we are that you guys are doing this for us,” said Maloney.