An early dose of yuletide cheer

Angelique Flores

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Christmas in April has arrived for the first time in

the city.

Instead of a toy-filled visit from Santa, volunteers with the program are

helping to repair and clean up four homes Saturday.

Christmas in April is a nonprofit group that coordinates volunteers to

repair the homes of low-income homeowners, usually seniors and the

disabled.

“These are wonderful, wonderful people,” said Stan Thompson, 72, whose

home is being repaired.

Lois Thompson, Stan’s 95-year-old mother, has lived in the city for 50

years. The two live together on an income of $500 a month, he said. Stan

can’t afford to hire someone to care for his mom, so he stays with her

himself. The two depend on Meals-on-Wheels and the Huntington Beach

Senior Center for assistance.

Fifty-six volunteers from Bay View Portfolio Services, a mortgage

company, plan to clean the yards, paint inside and outside and put in a

new refrigerator and stove, organizers said. Last week, they fixed the

roof.

“We help them live independently with dignity,” said Cy Baumann,

president of the board of directors of the group’s Orange County chapter.

The program plans to visit about 40 other homes throughout the county

this year. Though it’s the first time the organization has served

homeowners here, many volunteers have come from the city, organizers

said.

Some of the yearly volunteers are from Boeing, and Sts. Simon and Jude

and St. Bonaventure churches.

Another recipient of the program is Margaret Peters, 90, who was working

at the Huntington Beach Senior Outreach Center until she fell three

months ago, breaking her hip and wrist. Volunteers from California Air

National Guard have been working on her home for more than a month,

replacing the carpet and oven, fixing the leaky roof, painting, and

building a wheelchair ramp.

“They can’t do much for themselves,” Baumann said. “We just want to make

their place warm, safe and dry.”