Paint-It-Forward is a charitable painting initiative inspired by the 2000 film starring Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osment, Pay It Forward. The story told in the movie is about a junior high student who determines not to pay back favors, but to pay them forward instead, and particularly to needy people who don’t have the ability to pay back the favor. Thus, the modern expression, “pay it forward”.
The program was started in 2005 by a Southern California commercial painting company. It quickly spread across the country through the members of PCA, the Painting Contractors Association. With its motto, “Touching lives, one brushstroke at a time”, Paint-It Forward has grown to touch thousands of lives across America with millions of dollars of donated paint and labor.
The concept is a simple one. Painting contractors look for worthy households and non-profit organizations that cannot afford to paint their properties. Paint-It-Forward is not just about the paint on the walls, but more about the hearts behind the brushes. I am inspired each year I attend the annual PCA conference. Painting contractors are typically small companies, run by enthusiastic entrepreneurs. These are salt of the earth and patriotic folks who are deeply motivated to giving and to serving others. I love hearing about the many charitable painting projects my colleagues perform every year.
Let me tell you about a project MTS Painting recently finished so that you will get a fuller sense of how my fellow painters are enriching lives. Most everyone at my church knows that I am a painter since I’ve been advertising in the parish bulletin for years. The head of the Knights of Columbus group reached out to me to make me aware of a painting situation of one of his brother knights and asked if I would be willing to get involved. Here is the story.
Jim Porcaro fell from a second story window at 22 months old. He has suffered from epilepsy ever since and has experienced very many seizures. He is now 79 years old and has added heart issues, breathing issues and glaucoma. He cannot drive, but he can walk with the aid of a walker frame. He owns a small home in Mesa, which he shares with a disabled friend named Joe Meyer. Joe has serious breathing issues and balance issues that cause him to be prone to falling. He also walks with a walker frame. Jim is originally from Brooklyn. Joe is from Toledo.
Jim has been an active member of Christ the King Catholic Church since 1977. Joe joined the parish in 1999 when he moved to Mesa. Both men are long-time members of the Knights of Columbus and are Lay Carmelites. The religious Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was established in thirteenth century Europe. As members, Jim and Joe practice a lifestyle of contemplative prayer, community and ministry to their parish. One of their jobs in the Knights of Columbus is to guard the entrance to the meeting room, which means that they serve as greeters. Nobody sneaks by them.
Last fall Jim was informed by his homeowner insurance company that they would be cancelling his property insurance if he didn’t immediately paint his house. Here are a few pictures that demonstrate why the inspector insisted the house be repainted.
MTS decided to take on the Porcaro project at company expense. It was obvious that these two fine men were not capable of doing any work themselves, nor could they afford to pay the expense from their social security income. It was a worthy project. I estimated that it would take a two-man crew four days to accomplish, and the job would require 35 gallons of paint. We assigned it to Hector and Dan. They really entered into the spirit of what was happening. Besides painting, they cleaned up the front and backyard and hauled away a bunch of debris.
Jim was very appreciative of our crew. He spoke well of their skills and particularly of their kindness and thoughtfulness. When the project was completed, Jim told me that many neighbors and brother knights complimented him for the fresh and clean appearance of his home. There was an unexpected, yet very welcome benefit to painting the Porcaro home. We now have two religious men who spend hours every day in prayer, praying for MTS Painting. Priceless!
Here are pictures of the repainted house.
