Nancy L. Johnson: “Christmas in April, it is a way the community gives the gift of Christmas to families who need help. I had the privilege…”

“Christmas in April, it is a way the community gives the gift of Christmas to families who need help. I had the privilege of working at the home of an elderly couple who for decades have helped lead and care for veterans of this Nation's wars. They have done so much for others, and it was so nice to be a part of a team of 19 or 20 that painted rooms inside and painted things outside, that cleaned up the yard, that replaced a ceiling. I mean it was just wonderful. It was a gift to people who have given all of their lives and who now in their elder years need some help with that kind of work. And in New Britain, Connecticut, volunteers painted, repaired and upgraded the homes of 40 families. Some of them elderly, some of them single parents with young children, some of them just people who for one reason or another needed help with those kinds of chores, and some brought their children, just so their children could see that working together we are a powerful force, we Americans, and Government can never replace that energy, that faith, that love, that hope. I am proud to be a part of a Government that understands that people are the power and is working to assure that Government partners those powerful people and shares with them their vision of hope, opportunity, and justice for all.”