Dozens of realtors and volunteers with Keller Williams of Lubbock spent their annual RED (Renewing Energizing and Donating) Day on Thursday renovating the former Mary and Mac school building in East Lubbock.
Volunteers were at it since 8 a.m. adding fresh paint to the walls, making repairs to the exterior of the building, renovating the old bathrooms and library, replacing old flooring and much more.
“Coming together is awesome. We planned for this for over a month and a half and so it’s just so cool to see all of the agents come out, and they’re working really hard. We even had builders and remodelers that have come out and helped us out as well,” said Tara Newton, Team Leader for Keller Williams Lubbock.
The Coronado Project acts as a community center in East Lubbock. It has hosted several holiday parties, birthdays and serves as a place for the neighborhood children to visit during the summer when school has let out.
“Keller Williams is volunteering to breathe new life into this building,” said Frank Morrison, President of the Coronado Project. “They [kids] can hang out here instead of being latchkey kids or hanging out on the streets. That’s what this is all about. Rebuilding this community so that we don’t lose families, so we don’t lose the kids.”
Rachael Rudder, a mom of two who lives near the building and now works as a Family Support Specialist at The Coronado Project, says she’s happy to see the renovations being made to the building that she works for and where her children occasionally play in.
“Fixing our community has been a struggle, but being apart of something so big is really inspiring to me,” said Rudder. “It’s a dream that I want to see myself succeed at, and you know this is just the best feeling ever.”
The building is owned by former District Two councilman, T.J. Patterson. His daughter, Shelia Patterson Harris, who is now running for the District Two position, says she and her father were taken by surprise when they saw all the volunteers working on their old building.
“Me, my sister, my brother, cousins and even my aunt and uncle all attended school right here at Mary and Mac many years ago! To see folks come together to bring this building back to a great status is huge for us. We don’t have the tiny feet running through it right now, but that time will come,” said Patterson Harris said. “It was designated as a historic landmark, so the little plaque is right up there, but it’s even more exciting to experience that people are coming together today to put something on this building that no plaque can. They’re putting love, and sweat and hard work right into it.”
Mr. Patterson was able to make it out to scene, and says he was also taken back by the surprise.
“Y’all got me, y’all got me,” said an emotional Patterson.
And it wasn’t only The Coronado Project that Keller Williams is lending a helping hand to. Kingdom Come Ministries of Lubbock, a Bus Ministry, also received a generous gift from the realty group.
“They donated the flooring for our bus as well as new tires. They also helped to detail the inside and outside of our bus,” said Leslie Roach, co-director of Kingdom Come Ministries.
To show their appreciation for the gifts, the ministry group decided to come out and help with RED Day too.
“It is so cool to see so many people so many hands doing so many projects and everybody is coordinating and working together and i think the coolest thing to see the people who are in community here and they’re just walking around with huge smiles on their faces because they’re so excited about what’s happening in their community,” said Roach.
The project is expected to be finished by Thursday evening. To celebrate the day’s hard work, volunteers also organized a cookout celebration for the community so kids and parents from the neighborhood can visit the renovated facility.
