Eventually, the 75-year-old Wichita Falls man didn't have much of a roof over his head. The rain hammered it. The wind blew it away. But his Social Security check - his only income - wouldn't cover repairs.
"It rained in here. It did a whole lot of damage," Davis said. "But since they got the roof on it, it stopped all the leaks."
A nonprofit group got Davis out of the rain last month, and more homes will be repaired for the needy because of changes at the volunteer organization once known as Christmas in April.
Under its new name - Christmas in Action Wichita County Inc. - the group will keep fixing up homes for the low-income elderly or disabled just as it has for 20 years, Don Freire, executive director, said. It will just have roughly $3,250 more annually to do it.
That's because, besides a name change, the local Christmas in Action also opted out of an umbrella organization, officials said. Rebuilding Together had required annual dues of either $30 per home repaired or 2 percent of total funds raised.
"The work that we do runs anything from replacing broken windows to rebuilding ramps to painting houses," Freire said. "So typically $3,000, depending on what needs to be done, could probably fix three or four houses."
Just as before, Christmas in Action will make a big push the last Saturday in April to repair homes at no cost to the owners. And, just as before, it will provide dollars throughout the year for fix-it jobs that just can't wait.
Davis' roof was one of them.
He moved to Wichita Falls to be near family in 1989. A former foundry laborer, his last job was as a janitor. He kept working until he turned 74 and his health failed. It's hard for him to get around these days.
Then came this year's record-setting rains, at least 10 inches more than normal.
"All he had was the metal roof," Freire said. "And the metal was all curled up."
The tab for repairs was about $7,500, but local organization officials decided Davis' roof couldn't wait until April. The amount of dues normally paid to Rebuilding Together would cover about half the cost.
"Any money I spend on the part of Christmas in Action, I have to feel it is going to benefit somebody in Wichita County," Freire said. "And we couldn't figure out how the money we were sending to national helped the people in Wichita County."
Patty Johnson, president of Rebuilding Together in Washington, D.C., said it was too bad local group members felt the umbrella organization's dues were too steep and benefits were nonexistent.
"That's for each affiliate to decide," Johnson said.
She provided a list of membership benefits, including training, a toll-free number, publicity, a national insurance program, legal advice and fund-raising manuals. In addition, the 252 Rebuilding Together affiliates can receive merchandise credit grants, house sponsorships and grants from various sources.
But Freire was not impressed, saying the Wichita County organization received no support from the national group. In addition, the local organization didn't benefit from the umbrella group's publicity - all under the Rebuilding Together name.
Bobby Trimble, founder of the nation's first Christmas in April, agreed.
"The only publicity that does you any good is what you get through your own town," Trimble of Midland, Texas, said. "That's where you raise all your money."
In 1974, Trimble founded Christmas in April Midland and worked to establish other groups over the years. The national organization changed its name from Christmas in April USA in 2000 - much to his chagrin.
Trimble broke away from Rebuilding Together then and formed his own umbrella organization, Christmas in Action, said Trimble, president of both the national Christmas in Action and Christmas in Action Midland.
Other established groups and some new ones followed suit, allying with Christmas in Action. At least 15 organizations now belong to Christmas in Action.
Trimble's group charges no dues but provides the opportunity for insurance, he said.
"We're not going to tell Wichita Falls what to do," Trimble said. "We just sort of need a national organization so we can get insurance cheaper."
The Christmas in Action groups share a common goal to improve housing for the needy such as Davis.
Christmas in Action Wichita County won't stop with his roof. Rain has already eroded parts of the ceiling and soaked carpets.
"It was leaking all over the house," Davis said.
The next step is putting insulation in the attic, Freire said. That should bring down Davis' utility bills.
And improve his home - one among the 108 repaired by 1,100 volunteers this year in Wichita County.
Senior Writer Trish Choate can be reached at (940) 763-7533, (800) 627-1646, Ext. 533 or via e-mail at choatet(at)TimesRecordNews.com.
Copyright 2004, Times Record News. All Rights Reserved.
