Pave Alvin & Shirley's Garage

Alvin and Shirley Kimble are a dedicated couple, having lived, worked, and served in the Portland, Oregon area most of their lives. Now, in their retirement years, they have moved 250 miles away to a community where land is affordable, city noises are a distant memory, and their goal of being self-reliant can be achieved: Christmas Valley.

They've cleared the land, established a home, built a garden, and most recently, a garage has taken shape. Unfortunately, Alvin is increasingly experiencing debilitating seizures, leaving him exhausted for hours or days, delaying progress.

Our family has stepped in to help on various projects when we are able but there is one particularly large task looming: paving the garage floor. Hiring a company to do this is outside of their budget so Alvin had planned to pave it himself; however, his body is weakening and he can only do it one small section at a time. I calculated it would take him the rest of this summer and offered to see if there was a better way.

A bid from a local company to pave the entire garage floor in one day is $7,000. It would save an immense amount of time, allowing for other important structures on their property to be finished this summer.

My goal is to raise the money needed to cover the cost of paving the garage floor; if there are any extra funds, they will be applied to help finish the roof.

This project is very close to my heart as Shirley is my mother and Alvin my stepdad. I have made the 5-hour drive to their place whenever an extended weekend allows, visiting, encouraging, and helping them in the small ways I'm able, including building a large part of the garage foundation last summer. They continue to inspire me with their perseverance, strong faith, and desire to finish as much of their home on their own and within their budget as they can--despite health struggles.