People of Salem
Have you been stuck inside for too long? Are you tired of all the ugliness we’ve had to deal with in 2020?Do you want to do something that will have a positive affect right here in your neighborhood? Well, here is your chance. Spend some time with me volunteering to paint and power wash houses right here in Salem and make our neighborhood a little brighter.
(Above stock photos courtesy of Google Images)
Volunteer! Right here in Salem, VA!!
Helping someone else is the best way to make yourself feel better. And, Jimmy Carter has shown us that working on other people’s houses is the real "Fountain of Youth". Send me an email at jeffseto007@gmail.com saying you want to help beautify Salem. And, I will keep you informed of the houses set for beautifying!
If you would like to volunteer your house for the program or if you would like to suggest a house in Salem for this free program, please send me an email!
(Above is another stock photo courtesy of Google Images)
With a little help from my friends
My name is Jeff Seto (right). I have raised my children here in Salem and I plan to retire here.
I am a Marine Corps veteran, a computer engineer and a volunteer soccer coach. I am not a professional painter. So, to make sure that all houses are painted right, I have procured the services of a General Contractor here in Salem with over 30 years of experience, Mr. Alan Garst (left). Alan will insure the first two phases of painting (Preparation and Painting) go smoothly. I will insure the third phase (Clean-up) is done. The picture is Alan and I at a Beerfest a few years back at Green Hill Park.
A very Good Helper
My son, Jackson, is a senior at Salem High School and he has already volunteered to help. His friends may not know it, but they too have volunteered. Thank you Josh, Zack, Keenan, Logan and anyone else that has spent time at my house.
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My plan is to start painting and power washing houses, free of charge, on high traffic roads in Salem. And, then expand to less traveled roads. I have contacted many homeowners on Front Ave. The first to respond was Rob R.
Rob wanted his mom Sharon's house painted.
We quickly set about to make that happen. We got a late start in 2020 but we were still able to get a good start on Sharon's home before the weather got too cold.
You can read the details of us completing Our First House below.
Our First House
The left picture is the work crew (Alan, Jeff & Jackson) in front of Sharon's house. The right picture is an "after" picture. We forgot to take a "before" picture but, the swing was yellow and door was dark red.
Since Sharon's house is covered with aluminum siding, including window and door trims, we were only able to powerwash the house.
After powerwashing, we set to painting the only two items we could: a bench swing on the porch; and the front door.
Both turned out great! We used pastel Blue, and it stands out quite nicely against Sharon's white house. We love it, but most importantly, Sharon loves it!
The first house is done! It took longer than expected, but we learned a lot.
And, I loved every minute of it!
Our Second House
While the first house was started in 2020 and finished in 2021. Our second house was finished in one day!
The left picture is the "before" shot. The right picture is the "after" shot.
I used the side pictures because this is where you can see the most difference.
Our second house was also on Front Ave. Megan J. was nice enough to volunteer her house for the program.
And, I'm happy to report that Megan thinks "the house looks phenomenal".
Thank you Megan. It was our pleasure.
We look forward to doing our Third house!
Our Third "House"
Our third house turned out to be a mailbox.
With no more responses to my letters and no suggestions from the website, I started looking closer to home for projects.
My disabled neighbor Billy painted his mailbox Burgundy and Gold because he was a Redskins fan. However, Billy passed a while back and I asked his sister Judy if she would like the organization to put Billy's mailbox to rest and replace it with a new one.
After telling me the story of how Billy painted the mailbox, Judy agreed it was time for a new one.
I'm happy to report that Judy is very happy with the new mailbox.
My 4th Project
Still waiting on a request to paint a house, I decided to take some Christmas presents to seniors that were spending the holiday alone at the Salem Health and Rehabilitation Center.
On December 24, 2021, I went to Wally World (Wal-Mart) and bought every stuffed animal I could find.
I took them to the Health and Rehab center, dropped them off and asked that they be given to patients that were alone that Christmas.
The reaction from the receptionist was priceless and made what I did absolutely worthwhile.
I had a good friend, Jimmy Collins, that spent his last months there at the Rehab center before passing.
When I visited Jimmy there, I saw a lot of loneliness.
I was so happy I was able to do something.
Our 5th Project
If you want good representation in government, the citizens must be informed.
It is not acceptable for any of our leaders to deny science any more.
My 5th Project was to rent a billboard on Main St. and publish the fact that climate change is real.
This is known by the U.S. government and published on their National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) website.
One of the best ways to improve our neighborhood, is to elect leaders that will address climate change.
The billboard is on W. Main St, just west of Beverly Heights and ACE Hardware. You have to be heading east, toward downtown Salem, to see it. It was up during the months of September and October 2022.
Our 6th Block Improvement Project
Our 6th project turned out to be another one on my block. It was my neighbor a few houses down. They are fairly new to the neighborhood and unfortunately moved into a house with a front yard with one of the worst dandelions problems on the block.
It was a simple one day, one man project. I treated the yard with Weed and Feed early in the morning and told the homeowners to keep their dog out of the yard for the day.
As the above before-and-after pictures show, the treatment did a great job. And, most importantly, my neighbors are happy.
Our 7th Block Improvement Project
Our 7th project was another visit to the Salem Health and Rehabilitation Center at Christmas time. Carrying on a tradition I started in honor of my good friend Jimmie Collins, I picked up every huggable, or soft and cute, stuffed animal available at the Salem Walmart and dropped them off as Christmas presents for the residents at the rehab center. The first picture is me with the stuffed animals at my house. The second picture is the best helper in the world, my son Jackson, at the Rehabilitation Center dropping off the presents. The receptionist and the residents in the lobby were very thankful. It was really nice.
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Beagle Bailey
Goodwill Ambassador
This is my dog Bailey. He has graciously volunteered to be our Goodwill Ambassador. He will happily sniff the feet and lick the face of all volunteers. Guaranteed to brighten your day!