Volunteers ‘A Blessing’ To Homeowner

ROGERS — Raising three children and going to school full-time left Marisela Muro little time to keep up maintenance on her aging home.

Muro, who lives on South First Street in Rogers, was the recipient of what she called “a true blessing” when her application for assistance was accepted by Rebuilding Together of Northwest Arkansas and a crew of volunteers descended on her residence to do some much needed repair.

“I’ve been doing it myself as much as I can,” Muro said. “I installed some windows and did a lot of Sheetrock. I’m no carpenter but I did my windows and the rest to the best of my ability.”

“It feels wonderful,” Muro said Saturday morning as she worked with a crew of volunteers making repair both inside and outside her home. The chores ranged from yard work to replacing the electrical and plumbing service to the house. Floors were replaced, new wallboard was hung and work replacing windows and repairing the roof was also on the agenda.

Steven Ribar is on the site selection committee for Rebuilding Together and serves as a project volunteer. He said the committee reviews applications for assistance and chooses the recipients from among those who meet the organization’s criteria.

“We narrow it down to which will be the best fit for our program,” Ribar said. “Then teams of two people go out and interview the homeowner and go through the house and see what has been asked to be fixed.”

The home sponsor for Muro’s project was Living Word Lutheran Church, although volunteers also came from Walmart and other program participants. Some brought skills to be used for plumbing or electrical work, while others were there to lend a hand any way they could.

“I’m just a plain old housewife,” Barbara Ballestra said while she took a short break from “tuck pointing,” where she replaced mortar between stones on the exterior of the house. Ballestra said she had also done some garden work.

“This is my first project,” she said. “Hopefully, when it’s all done, this lady will be able to enjoy the results.”

Ballestra said she brought no special skills to the job, just a willingness to work and a desire to help.

“We do what we can do,” she said. “Every little bit helps. Hopefully we can keep the house together.”

Former Benton County Judge Dave Bisbee, the volunteer house captain for the project, said the original parts of the house were probably 100 years old. There were at least two additions built onto the original structure over time, Bisbee said. Bisbee said Rebuilding Together does good work in organizing the projects and getting sponsors — in this case the church — to take on the task of repairing the homes. Then the volunteers come out and do the work needed, he said.

“This is real mission work,” Bisbee said. “But it’s in your own community, something everybody can see for themselves. This will change this lady’s life.”

Muro said he was hesitant for a time about asking for help. She lost her longtime job in October 2009 and decided to pursue a degree in computer networking to improve her career opportunities.

“A friend gave me an application,” she said. “I’ve been doing things by myself. It feels wonderful. I was excited, overwhelmed when I found out they’d chosen me.

“It’s a true blessing. I think now that losing my job was a blessing also. I took it hard at first but I turned it around and made it a positive. I’m a very independent person. I would never do this for myself. I do it because I have my children. I’ve got to do what I have to do for them.”