“Good Neighbor” Program Yields Another Transformation
by Guest Writer on November 19th, 2009Written by Lolly Barnes
Leatrice Cain's house, before
Friday, November 13 was a big day for the “Good Neighbor” house painting project. While members of the Keesler Air Force Base 335th Training Wing were gathering in Pascagoula to put the finishing touches on Harold and Jittaun Payne’s house, a group of more than 30 employees from Lockheed Martin and their families were hard at work in Bay Saint Louis. These volunteers were recruited by the United Way of South Mississippi to take part in their “Day of Caring”, which helped hundreds of people coast-wide.
The volunteers began bright and early – when I arrived at Leatrice Cain’s house around 7:00 a.m., the volunteers had already mowed the lawn and were trimming back overgrown bushes. The house was scraped, primed and painted in record time, with the lovely Jekyll Clubhouse Yellow from the National Trust’s Historic Color palette. If you ever wondered how long it takes to paint a shotgun house, the answer is roughly eight hours, including a break for BBQ. There is still some work to be done on the porch, so the folks from Lockheed Martin are planning another work day in December to complete the transformation.
Leatrice Cain's house, after
Leatrice is thrilled with the transformation – and the speed! Many thanks to Valspar for donating the paint for the project; the National Trust for Historic Preservation; United Way of South Mississippi; and Lockheed Martin for ALL of their contributions!
Learn more:
- Donation of Historic Paint Colors Makes for a “Good Neighbor” on the Gulf Coast
- National Trust Partner Continues to Support Mississippi Gulf Coast Recovery
Lolly Barnes is the immediate past president of the Mississippi Heritage Trust Board of Trustees and a lifelong resident of Biloxi. The Mississippi Heritage Trust is a statewide organization dedicated to the preservation of the prehistoric and historic cultural resources of Mississippi.
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