Every year on the Saturday before the Indianapolis 500 weekend, a group of volunteers come together for the Christmas in Action organization to fix houses around the Indianapolis areafor elderly and low-income homeowners.
“There are a lot of people who are hurting out there, and a lot of them are somewhat reluctant to come forward and get help,” saidKarl Lundberg,Christmas in Action president. “There are a lot (of people) who have fallen through the cracks.”
Matt Dowdy, a recently-appointed board member, became involved with the program last year when Lundberg spoke about the need for volunteers at his church.As the owner of a construction company, he saw it as his opportunity to use his talents to help others.
“Just seeing everybody come together and have the same goal and the same purpose was really rewarding. You hear so much negativity in the news, but you had 35, 40 strangers, where none of us knew each other before that day, and we stuck together and focused; we were able to accomplish something,” Dowdy said.
Christmas in Action performs repairs ranging from the installation of handrails to the replacement of kitchen floors. Last year, 120Christmas in Action volunteers managed to fix 14 houses in a single day, an increase from five homes repaired in 2010.
Christmas in Action will take place on May 19 this year, and they (volunteers) hope to fix at least 12 houses for homeowners in the area. The organization is looking for volunteers, donations and applications for repairs. It is unnecessary to have experience in the construction industry in order to volunteer.
“The best part about this is knowing you’ve made a difference in somebody’s life that’s going to last a long, long time,” Lundberg said.
Anyone wanting to volunteer time or contribute as a sponsor can send an e-mail to [email protected], or call 721-1242.For more information, visit christmasinactionindy.wordpress.com.