Christmas in April

CAPITOL HEIGHTS, MARYLAND

Although trees were in bloom, it was Christmas in the hearts of a dozen members of Maryland Local 2250. They devoted a Saturday in April to repairing a home in a low-income area of their community.

The members, employed in the Maintenance Department of the Prince George's County Board of Education, volunteered their time and skills to lay brick, set ceramic tile, paint, even cut down trees at a house whose owner couldn't afford to pay for the work. The volunteer effort, which calls to mind an old barn raising, was a county endeavor in cooperation with Christmas in April, a nonprofit organization whose activities — mostly repairing the homes of elderly, disabled or needy owners — culminate on National Rebuilding Day.

Faith Jones, Local 2250's newly elected president, has organized volunteers for the past five years and did so again this spring. "It's just a matter of giving back to the county," he says. "I am a county employee, and I respect the fact that they pay my salary — which helps me pay for my home and feed my family. It's also rewarding to see people happy."

The house they worked on is owned by a single mother with a disabled child. The mother, Jones said, "had overwhelming bills and couldn't afford to do the things that we normally do to maintain our homes." As for the AFSCME crew, "It's amazing what those guys did that day."

In addition to Jones, the following Local 2250 members participated in this year's event: Jerome Brooks, Larry Cager, Andre Curtis, Dave Fortney, Ray Green, Lenny Haskins, Lenest Jordan, Paul Proctor, Gregory Smith, Thomas Stewart and James Wade.