Tamra and Greyson work on the trim.

Melissa works on the mural.

Greyson and Zoey pitch in on a wall.

A band of Amarillo College co-workers, numerically pint-sized but voluminous of heart, set out in mid-May to spread joy. By mid-June, they’d spread gallons of it – on cabinets, ceilings, woodwork and walls.

This eclectic paint crew was inspired to action at the request of Tamra Rocsko, AC instructor of nuclear medicine, whose heartstrings are ever tuned to an altruistic beat. Rocsko had gotten wind of a service project that whet her appetite, a unique painting project that she could not possibly accomplish alone.

Due to short notice, amateur painters didn’t exactly respond in droves to the call for volunteers; however, those who did indeed were driven. They painted evenings after work. They painted on weekends. They painted with purpose. 

When their month-long mission was accomplished, Gratitude House, the latest residential acquisition of the Downtown Women’s Center, had a freshly painted apartment-turned-daycare festooned even with kid-friendly images and murals.

“When I first saw what they had done, well, I couldn’t believe my eyes,” said Diann Gilmore, executive director of the Downtown Women’s Center. “It’s absolutely beautiful, more so than I ever thought it could be.

“The Lord sent us Tamra and the rest of the folks from Amarillo College and we are so very grateful to AC and to all the members of our community whose support means so much.”

It was not AC employees alone who joined Rocsko’s painting crew; she coaxed a friend, a sister and a niece to join the effort, and her 5-year-old son Greyson never missed a session. Moreover, Greyson’s art teacher Melissa Haney was recruited to fashion the images and murals, pro bono, of course (and she brought along her whole family a time or two).

But most of the heavy lifting came from the rank and file of AC, the same source of labor Rocsko tapped in a recent effort to create care packages for another function at the Downtown Women’s Center, which is a haven for the otherwise homeless.

“When Tamra put out a call to help with painting, I told her I’d definitely be there to help,” said Kelly Prater, AC’s director of financial aid, whose 6-year-old daughter Zoey tagged along. “Tamra is so thoughtful and wants to make the world a better place, and the fact is she’s doing it.

“We had fun. It feels good to give something back to the community, and I’m really happy with the way it turned out.”

AC’s Brian Jacob, coordinator of the Automotive Technology Program, did not paint, but he generously provided enough painting equipment to keep the job rolling smoothly along. Kristin McDonald-Willey, AC’s director of institutional effectiveness, used some of that equipment to work on the ceilings.

“It was a good time for a good cause, but I also learned a couple of things on that job,” McDonald-Willey said. “You should wear a helmet, especially if you are working on ceilings. I got home one night and found that my hair was almost completely white.

“I also found out it helps to have someone really tall on hand to reach the high spots; I was very excited when Mark Rowh got there.”

In addition to Rowh, the rangy dean of health sciences, the paint crew was valiantly fortified by AC employees Shona Bagley, mailroom supervisor; Janine Goode, systems analyst for programing services; and Kendra Hubbard, instructor in the Clinical Medical Assistant Program.

“Everyone really got into the spirit of it,” Rocsko said. “The job was a lot bigger than I thought it would be, and so I really appreciate the efforts of all the people who helped.”

The Downtown Women’s Center (DWC) has provided housing and services to overcome homelessness and addiction since 1989. Establishment of a daycare facility became possible only recently, when the DWC acquired Gratitude House at 11th Avenue and Jackson Street. Prior to occupancy, however, the donated apartment complex must undergo a complete makeover.

The DWC is accomplishing these renovations through a campaign aimed at local businesses called “Adopt-an-Apartment, Adopt-a-Life,” which Rocsko learned about while attending the DWC’s “Breaking the Chains of Addiction” spring luncheon. That's where she doled out the care packages she and her compatriots had made.

Adopting a whole apartment sounded a bit too ambitious for Rocsko, but spiffing up the proposed daycare seemed like something she could handle (the paint was to be provided, after all). So she volunteered for the job sight unseen. When it turned out the undertaking was massive, she swiftly began asking for help – and got it – from friends, family and especially AC.

“No one who came from the College asked for any credit,” Director Gilmore said, “but all the apartments that were adopted at Gratitude House will have commemorative plaques placed on them to recognize those responsible, and so will our daycare.

“The daycare plaque will give credit to our very dear friends at Amarillo College, and I intend to see that it’s placed there myself.”

June 30, 2016