Volunteers conquer giant painting job

Around 120 volunteers participated in the fifth annual Master Builders Care Foundation's Painting a Better Tomorrow event Nov. 7 at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Bellevue.

Volunteers provided a fresh coat of paint to the entire 23,000-square-foot facility – including two gyms with high ceilings, a kick-boxing area, computer labs, art rooms and classrooms – so the agency could avoid diverting funds from services.

Boys and Girls Clubs members were involved in choosing colors for each room and also helped with painting.

Twenty Master Builders Association member companies contributed over 1,250 hours of work during the daylong event.

"There was a lot of pride when we were finished," said Art Castilleja, chair of the Painting a Better Tomorrow group. "We got this done as a team."

The Bellevue Boys and Girls Clubs has 7,500 members and over 4,000 teens using the facility each year, according to Ryan Scott, vice president of the branch.

"It's amazing how much the kids notice and appreciate the building," Scott said.

The annual Painting a Better Tomorrow projects are part of the Master Builders Care Foundation's Shelter Care program, which provides painting and minor repairs for non-profit organizations in King and Snohomish Counties.

This year, Painting a Better Tomorrow counts toward the Master Builders Association's "100 for 100" campaign, which celebrates the organization's centennial anniversary by completing 100 community-service projects.

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