Today, our site group visited Estefan (or Steve) at his home to build him a ramp in the front yard. First Lauren, Sean, Kristen, and Charlotte measured lengths of wood pieces for the framework of the ramp that Lowel (the head contractor) cut for us before we headed to the site.
Claire and Katie primed, sanded, and glossed the plywood that would be floorboards of the ramp. Charlotte and Sam also helped George and Lowel drill the framework of the ramp. It was hard work throughout the day but we persevered in the hot weather and we all had fun doing it.
Lauren, Sean, and Charlotte also had a chance to speak with Estefan about himself and his family members. Estefan moved from El Paso, Texas in 1988 and has been living in Yakima since. He has been living in his current home for the past five years and has gone through some obstacles in his lifetime. He struggled with addictions and has been recovering for seven years. He used to work in construction and his favorite job was doing sheetrock. He and his work partner could do a whole garage of sheetrock in two days. “People were surprised that I loved to do sheetrock,” he said. Estefan has had four surgeries on his right leg and that is what has caused him to become disabled. Through his injury, he still was able to work on his home and renovate it from a 2-bedroom house to a four-bedroom house. He also added a second bathroom and took out his dining room area. He prefers to barbecue with his relatives on the front porch anyway. Estefan’s five-year-old nephew was present while we were working and ended up bonding with Sam. Our team members also got to meet Estefan’s pet Lab puppies DJ and Cookie, who were very small and cute.
Our group will be coming back tomorrow to finish the ramp and we are excited to help this family in need. It was a good start to the week and we can’t wait for what’s to come!
By: Sean and Lauren
By: Sean and Lauren
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