‘Christmas in April’ Event Assists Needy

WEST SAN GABRIEL VALLEY —  Hundreds of volunteers spent Saturday painting and repairing homes in Monterey Park and Pasadena as part of a nationwide effort to bring “Christmas in April” to low-income, elderly and disabled people.

The two cities were the only ones in Los Angeles County--and among 210 cities and towns nationwide--to hold the event this year.

The annual effort, in which businesses and individuals donate materials and labor for everything from roof repairs to paint jobs to construction of wheelchair ramps, has been praised by President Bush as an example of community volunteerism. It originated in Midland, Tex., 19 years ago and has become a nationwide movement.

“The folks out there (in California) are doing an absolutely tremendous job,” said Patricia Johnson, president of Christmas in April USA, a nonprofit group formed in 1988 to oversee efforts across the country.

Monterey Park’s Economic Development Department and local businesses sponsored the city’s second “Christmas in April” this year.

Several hundred volunteers fixed up seven homes and two buildings that house Merci, a school for mentally retarded children.

Pasadena held its first “Christmas in April” this year, rehabilitating six homes in Northwest Pasadena.

Nationwide, 70,000 volunteers repaired 2,400 homes, and the equivalent of $14.4 million was donated in materials and labor, Johnson said.