Junior Nicole Dehondt will spend this upcoming Saturday working beside her mother, aunt and other close friends repairing homes for the elderly and those who cannot make the necessary repairs themselves.

 
“My aunt and mom are a part of Christmas in Action so I thought I would join,” Dehondt said. “I have done it for only one year, but we fix houses for seniors or people who can’t fix it themselves. Everyone who works in the organization is like family to me.”

 
Christmas in Action is a national non-profit organization that provides free home repairs for low income or elderly homeowners. The Tri-County chapter of Christmas in Action is supported by local businesses, churches and schools.

 
“Volunteers unite around a common goal of completing free home repairs for low-income or handicapped seniors each year on the last Saturday in April,” Tri-Country Christmas in Action media and public relations spokesperson Suzette Mulnix said. “Volunteers provide home repairs to make our seniors’ homes safe and functional for the owner while improving the community as a whole.”

 
Funds for the home repairs are provided by private donations and fundraisers in the Tri-County area.

 
“Money is raised for these projects at our golf fundraiser called ‘Golf FORE a Great Cause’ at the Coyote Preserve in Fenton,” Mulnix said. “This fundraiser will be held on September 19. We also receive monetary donations to pay for home repairs. Christmas in Action is run entirely by volunteers. None of our members are paid.”

 
For this year’s event, many local seniors have sent in applications for home repairs to the group. These applications and a list of home repairs that need to be done are then approved by the Christmas in Action board. There is certain criteria that must be met in order for a project to be approved by the board.

 
“This year we have several houses that are looking into in the Tri-County area,” Mulnix said. “We have been receiving applications from seniors and we are visiting their homes and getting applications filled out and looking over each home to put together a list of work that needs to be done. We, as volunteers, try to help the homeowner with every aspect of this process.”

 
Christmas in Action is always looking for new volunteers. Those interested in volunteering can fill out a volunteer application at www.ciageneseeco.org/volunteer.