Article from the Santa Cruz Sentinel July 31, 2007:
Peggy Townsend, Name Dropping: Construction crew makes it safe for seniors*

A crumbling set of stairs made the process of getting into a Scotts Valley couple's mobile home a dangerous proposition.

But thanks to some generous local businesses and the Volunteers Center, the elderly couple can make the journey without a worry now.

The good deed began when Sonia Swain, office manager of Talmadge Construction, called the Volunteers Center asking about a community outreach program they could undertake. The company's owner, Jeff Talmadge, believes in giving back to the community, she said, and Carol McGuire, coordinator of the Helping Hands Senior Home Repair Program, quickly found a couple that needed some aid.

Talmadge Construction sent out a carpenter who planned out the job. And, with a materials grant from Big Creek Lumber, workers got started on the repair project last week.

Jeff Lindahl and Carlos Gomez-Lopez of Talmadge Construction spent two days on the project and now the steps are as good as new.

Helping Hands, established in 1997, provides simple home repairs free of charge of seniors who can't get the work done otherwise. The program has installed handrails in bathtubs, repaired leaky faucets, replaced light switches and installed locks on doors.

For information, call 427-5070.