Friday, March 14, 2003 | 2:55 a.m.
WEEKEND EDITION: March 15, 2003
A tour of Adrine Sloan's home shows the years, the collected memories and wear.
There are the black and white photos of family on the living room wall, of her and her husband standing in front of their new home more than 30 years ago.
There also is bubbling moss-colored carpet, splintered floor molding and a separated shower stall.
Volunteers for Rebuilding Together with Christmas in April will come to Sloan's home next month to make it more like the one in the photo.
"I just can't wait for them to get here. I'm counting the days," Sloan said. "I would love to see something beautiful when I get up, a new floor and paint."
She sat in her high-backed wicker chair -- the one her kids used to say made her look like a queen -- and told about living in the squat, butternut squash-colored house and how it and the neighborhood had changed.
"Yes, I've done a little changing ... and the neighborhood, too," she said.
Sloan moved to Las Vegas from Mississippi in the 1950s and worked as a nurse. Her husband retired from the Navy and also worked in health care.
In the early years the neighborhood suffered from shooting and crime, she said. The bullet holes have since been filled with putty.
"My grandbaby, I raised him in this house. My great grandbaby, she wants to come in here now, but it's too much for this old lady," Sloan said.
"There's a lot of memories."
Sloan is 65 years old and lives on a modest, fixed income. Since her husband died seven years ago, she has been unable to maintain the 1,056-square-foot block house. That's where Rebuilding Together with Christmas in April came in.
Sloan's is one of about 40 homes adopted this year by the Las Vegas branch of the national charity. On April 26 thousands of volunteers will paint, carpet and caulk to help low-income seniors, the disabled and families with small children at no cost to the homeowners.
Between $750,000 and $1 million of repairs were done by 3,000 volunteers last year. Corporate sponsors field volunteers and donate supplies.
"I believe that this organization in our community has truly saved lives," Therese Elliott, the charity's program director, said.
She said she has seen seniors who have sat in cold water tubs because their air conditioning was busted, and has looked at the sky through holes in ceilings.
Seeing those conditions fixed is one reason volunteering with the program is so rewarding, Executive Director Keith Lane said.
"From the contribution they make, they can see the home in the morning, they can see the home when they leave that night. And they feel the satisfaction," he said.
The program has drawn many volunteers during its 10 years in the Las Vegas Valley. This year it introduced a new lifetime achievement award to recognize exceptional service.
At a kickoff breakfast in January, Barbara Helgren was presented the award for her contributions as the charity's soiree chair and Joy Whitecotton was recognized for more than 13 years of volunteer service in Arizona and Las Vegas.
Named in honor of Sandy Thompson -- former president of the charity's board and vice president/associate editor of the Las Vegas Sun -- the award is given for meritorious service beyond the call of duty.
"She was just a tremendous supporter," Lane said of Thompson, who started her longtime work with the charity as a volunteer.
"This was a passion in her life," he said.
Lane walked through Sloan's house and pointed to some of the disrepairs that, while unsightly, are also a hazard. Rolls in the carpet act as tripwires to old feet, and upturned molding has landed Sloan on the kitchen floor.
Besides that, a little paint can do wonders to a sad room, Lane said. Volunteers are also thinking of putting landscape rocks in the yard because Sloan is allergic to grass.
"I could sit out there this summer on afternoons," Sloan said, "something I haven't been able to do since I moved in."
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