Let your heart be light: Brownsville helps those in need this holiday season

On a crisp Friday morning, Amelia Pecina fought back tears.

Construction workers shuffled through her modest home in West Brownsville as they repaired her patio and installed rails in her bathroom to prevent her from slipping and falling during baths — major renovations she had long been needing after the death of her husband almost four years ago.

"This is the best Christmas gift I have ever received," said Pecina, now 78 years old. "I am going to have a wonderful New Year."

Her story was one of 15 featured in the Let Your Heart Be Light series, a collaboration between The Brownsville Herald and United Way of Southern Cameron County to profile the lives of under-served older citizens.

The series, which concluded Saturday, received an outpouring of support from the community, said Traci Wickett, president and CEO of United Way of Southern Cameron County.

"It has been an emotional experience for all of us," she said.

Many of the donations, such as wheelchairs, hospital beds and walking canes, came from people who had just lost loved ones. Giving these items away to help another person in need was part of the healing process for many donors and provided them with a piece of closure, said Jessica Crider, administrative assistant and volunteer coordinator for United Way.

"I have broken down many times," said Crider, who has listened to dozens of donors’ stories in the past two weeks. "It has been bittersweet because we feel good for the help that is coming in for these senior citizens, but at the same time, we are grief counselors."

Rudy Buitureira, used car manager for Fruia Motors, read Pecina’s story in last week’s Brownsville Herald and was deeply moved, he said. His wife is fighting breast cancer and going through chemotherapy.

"I know what people have done for me because of my wife," he said. "People have been there for us, and I thought, it is time for me to give back."

He helped raise the money and materials to repair Pecina’s home through his nonprofit, Out of Good Faith, which he recently founded to help people in need with a range of necessities. Though his organization’s funds are still somewhat low, he hopes to raise additional contributions in the coming months to provide assistance to more people, Buitureira said.

Partnering with Buitureira on Pecina’s home restoration was Steve Solis, executive director of the Brownsville Affordable Home Ownership Corporation. Solis’ nonprofit provided the crew to perform the legwork, Solis said.

"I have a grandmother who is 83 years old and my grandfather died, so (Pecina’s story) hit really close to home," Solis said.

The series has not only made a one-time impact, Wickett said, but also has spurred United Way to enter into discussions with local social service agencies and nonprofits to look for better ways to help the organizations connect with older citizens in need.

"Let’s seal these cracks people are falling through," Wickett said. "If there is a hole in the safety net, let’s fix it."

Nearly all of the people featured in the series have been helped. Sudarshan Eye Experts, for instance, has stepped in to assist Maria Guadalupe Reyneros with a free eye exam and possibly even surgery. The Area Agency on Aging has volunteered to help those profiled seniors who need hearing aids. And countless members of the community have donated items and given financial contributions.

But United Way is still looking for batteries for two electrical wheelchairs, and any monetary donations to help seniors whose needs have not been met, such as Eliseo Bernal, who still needs a prosthetic leg, and Gregorio "Goyito" Gonzalez, who needs new shoes.

These seniors are people who have worked all of their lives, who have helped themselves, Wickett said. They just need a little lift.

Pecina remembers well the days she and her husband used to work hard to push themselves forward. Her husband, Guadalupe, liked to use his hands, she said, to fix and repair, assemble, nail and hammer — you name it.

Since his death, she has "just kept going," trying to keep her home in the best shape she could, she said.

"Although your spirit is willing, your body just cannot take it anymore," Pecina said. "I am grateful for everything. I really needed the help."