Maxwell Park Neighborhood News

by Sarah Hipolito

Lucha and Carlos Gonzales in front of their house with elves on moving day. Photo By Joe Davis.

Neighbors as Elves

Julie Duff called the neighbors "elves." If we were elves then Julie was "Santa," because it was her persistent e-mails on the Maxwell Park Yahoo! Group that rang bells to help a neighbor in the final stages of recovery from an extensive house fire. The elves came out the Saturday before Christmas to move what was left of the family's belongings back into their home, symbolizing a new beginning for a neighbor and the community-mindedness of Maxwell Park.'

Lucha and Carlos Gonzales had lots of bad luck over a year ago. In the midst of several family emergencies, Lucha's house caught on fire. She was staying in Stockton to be near Carlos, who was in a hospital. Lucha and her neighbors boarded up the house.'

Later Lucha and Carlos found a rental across the street from their home. Neighbors supported them during the arduous process of getting back into their home. They brought coffee, lent their house for business meetings, watered and pruned roses, brought groceries, and drove Carlos to medical appointments. It took about a year and a half before their house was finally ready for the move back.

Moving Day'

It was to this house that 20 Maxwell Park neighbors reported that Saturday morning. The driveway and the garage across the street were filled with boxes containing all of the possessions that had been rescued from the fire. Fortunately, the furniture had already been moved in, and it took only two hours to move the boxes into the house. The bed was made, the kitchen put in place, doughnuts and coffee were shared, and another neighbor brought lunch. Neighbors also contributed to a gift certificate, and some neighbors placed a Christmas tree in the living room to add a bit more cheer.'

Happy New Year, Maxwell Park neighbors!

Jan Hetherington is the Yahoo! Group moderator; to join the group, e-mail jan\@moves-to-improve.com.
Sarah Hipolito can be reached at shipolito\@sbcglobal.net.