Community Comes Together to Repaint an Old Couple’s House

Josh Cyganik of Pendleton, Oregon overheard two teenage boys hurling insult at an old man for the condition of his house, which spurred him to ask the community to help repaint the man’s house. The teenagers were talking loud enough for Cyganik to hear them from across the street. They were saying that the 75-year old man’s home should just be burned, as they passed by in front of the house where the owner was sitting on his porch.

He said that his first instinct was to reprimand those teenagers but held his anger in and thought of how he could help. Cyganik, a Union Pacific Railroad employee meets his co-workers daily across the street from the house of Leonard Bullock. When he saw Mr. Bullock put his head down after hearing the tactless comment, he thought he had to do something.

Turning the anger into something positive

He talked to the owner of the local hardware store and asked if he could donate some paint. The storeowner gladly agreed to his request. He then approached Mr. Bullock and sought this permission before posting an appeal to his friends on Facebook.

Little did he know that his FB post appeal would go viral, gathering some 6,000 shares. Come that particular weekend, there were more than 100 community volunteers who showed up to help. Of course with those many hands, they made short the work of stripping the old paint off and repainting the exterior of the house. From its old white and blue paint, Mr. Bullock’s house now sports a beautiful brown and beige paint job. Other businesses also donated. The local lumber company gave lumber for a new porch, while Starbucks provided several gallons of water and ice tea for the volunteers. There were people who bought new furniture set for the patio.

Mr. Bullock was at a loss for words for the generosity shown by Cyganik and the community to him and his wife. He said that they are a retired couple but their income does not leave them anything extra for house repairs. Cyganik treats it as a random act of kindness and says that he hopes that a roofer will be able to help repair the old couple’s roof.

Copyright: dbvirago / 123RF Stock Photo