As she watched volunteers work hard to fix up her yard, Grade Hudson could not help but think Christmas came early this year.
Living in her Castle Rock home since 1974, Hudson spent years keeping up with her yard, but due to a disability and getting older time outside became more difficult.
So after a friend sent in an application to the Douglas Elbert Board of Realtors for their annual community project, her yard got a makeover.
The board’s annual project benefits the needy or the elderly in Elbert or Douglas County. This is the second year for the project and their mission is to help those in with home improvement projects to better the family’s quality of life. On July 9 and 10 over 20 volunteers came out to Hudson’s home at 101 Ash for two full days of extreme yard work. Cyndi Jalonski a member of the board said the project could not be done with out the many sponsors who provide the materials and monetary donations.
“The sponsors have really come through for us and have been fantastic,” she said.
Volunteers did a variety of projects on the yard including trimming bushes and trees, painting, re-doing the planters in the front yard, painting the shed and providing a border of rocks and mulch around the yard.
Although Hudson is 84 years old, she still spends a lot of time outside in her yard. She tends to her garden of corn, tomatoes, beans, beat, radishes and rhubarb. And she keeps an outside pond home to 25 gold fish.
“I love my yard. It is nice and private and I love to relax in my pergola,” she said.
Hudson was amazed by the work the volunteers did on her yard and after watching the plants in her yard over-grow, she greatly appreciates work. She said most people think realtors are only out for the money, but not the Douglas Elbert Board of Realtors.
“These people are the most giving and benevolent people I have ever met other than at church,” she said. “They do everything so willing and freely and it doesn’t cost me anything. I like that word freely.”