By Kevin Hogencamp, Contributing Writer
For retiree Gloria Wilcox, arriving home from a doctor’s appointment on a recent Thursday morning was like stepping into Santa’s workshop.
And all the toys were for her.
A dozen volunteers were caulking, scraping and painting the home Wilcox has owned for a half-century in the New Town neighborhood, just west of Downtown Jacksonville.
After a couple of hours, the lively work crew passed the baton to a fresh set of volunteers.
By midday, the entire exterior of Wilcox’s house on Hogan Street was sparkling in the horizon blue color that she picked out.
“This makes me feel great, baby. I am so thankful for this morning,” the 80-year-old former railroad company worker said about the buzz of activity at her home.
“Oh, my Lord, thank you,” she told the workers who were within listening distance. “It’s just beautiful.”
Wilcox said her doctor’s visit went well, too.
“God knows how to bless and God knows when to bless,” she said.
Wilcox was among three New Town residents who were beneficiaries of RED Day projects, during which Keller Williams associates nationwide provide service to organizations and causes in their communities.
About 80 Keller Williams associates from offices in Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, Amelia Island and St. Augustine painted three New Town residences.
Keller Williams has held the annual day of service on the second Thursday of May since 2009; RED is for renew, energize and donate.
“Today is an example of the faith-family-work culture that makes Keller Williams such a great company. This sort of thing is exactly why I choose to work for Keller Williams,” broker associate Phil Aitken said as he painted a house on Fairfax Street, a stone’s throw from Wilcox’s home.
Aitkin said RED Day is characterized by service, teamwork and gratitude.
“We’ve been blessed with a lot of opportunities in real estate and it’s good to be able to give back to somebody who needs help,” he said.
Developed in the early 20th century for African-American industrial and railroad workers, New Town is plagued with substandard housing.
But Builders Care and Habijax are steadily improving the historic area’s look and spirit, largely through the work of volunteers.
Builders Care, the charitable arm of the Northeast Florida Builders Association, makes repairs so residents can safely remain in their homes. Habijax is the Jacksonville Habitat for Humanity affordable home ownership program affiliate.
Builders Care was amid extensive rehabilitations to 25 New Town homes when Keller Williams’ associate Rene’ Zook called in search of a RED Day project opportunity.
The neighborhood improvements are an extension of Habijax officials concluding that building 25 new houses in New Town meant that older homes in the neighborhood needed to be fixed, too.
“It turned out to be a great day of fun and service for everyone who came out,” Builders Care Executive Director Justin Brown said of RED Day in Jacksonville. “I knew when Rene’ called that we had the perfect opportunity for them.”
Pete Sherrill, a team leader at Keller Williams’ Southside market center in Jacksonville, said the associates benefited from the volunteer service as much as the residents.
“The agents were extremely gratified to be a part of something so special that not only helped people in need and helped the neighborhood look better, but also built camaraderie,” he said.
Throughout the day, Wilcox frequently checked on the workers, making sure they had plenty to drink.
“Everyone is saying how much fun they are having and how grateful the residents are,” Zook said late in the morning.
A couple of blocks away on Hardee Street, Jean Singleton also kept asking the volunteers what she could do to assist them.
Last year, rain was pouring through five different areas of her house before Habijax and Builders Care came to the rescue. The RED Day project was icing on the cake for Singleton.
“It’s a blessing, plain and simple,” the retired Duval County Schools paraprofessional said. “There’s no other way to describe it.”
When someone was needed to climb a tall ladder to reach the tallest points of Singleton’s house, Keller Williams agent Daren Lee quickly volunteered.
Lee said she hopes her three children took notice of how she spent her day away from the job.
“I try to be role model to them to show what it’s like to do things for other people instead of having others do things for you,” she said.
Brown said that in addition to their positive spirit and hard work, the Keller Williams volunteers — led by Zook — met the logistical challenge of taking on three simultaneous projects.
“I was kind of stressed going in because there were so many moving parts to it,” he said. “What they did was amazing. Everyone did what it took to make it work.”