HERB BENHAM: AIDS home fends off wolf at the door
| Wednesday, Nov 18 2009 05:18 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Nov 18 2009 05:18 PM
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Good news at 910 Grace St.: A house has become a home.
The Bakersfield AIDS Project and its supporters closed escrow on Ricky's Retreat, its hospice house and headquarters in east Bakersfield.
A year and a half ago, the old rambling house was in foreclosure. Audrey Chavez, director of the Bakersfield Aids Project, had 60 days to move. Didn't matter where, just leave. The foreclosure notice was as cold and impersonal as a wrong number at 4 a.m.
When ominous looked permanent, people got stubborn, creative and busy.
Depending on what you believe: God is great, people are good and Kern County isn't bad either.
Chavez was almost giddy Wednesday with the $65,000 purchase.
"It's surreal," Chavez said. "I'm trying to figure out how to share this wonderful news with the community."
Relax Audrey, you've done your job. Telling people is my job.
Although buying the 104-year-old house was a team effort, Chavez has always been the face of Ricky's Retreat and the Bakersfield AIDS Project.
Chavez started Ricky's Retreat seven years ago. Ricky, her older brother, died of AIDS in 1992 at 36.
"He was an awesome brother," Chavez said. "He loved 'American Bandstand' and 'Soul Train.'"
Chavez wanted to honor her brother and have a place where people with AIDS could feel at home. Seven years ago, she found the sunny, rambling house on Grace Street. Six rose bushes line the front walk, a willow tree shades the front of the house, and olive trees lend it a Mediterranean feel.
A generous porch has plenty of chairs for sunny days. Inside are three bathrooms, four bedrooms, one used as an office by the Bakersfield AIDS Project. The bedrooms are usually filled. Almost a thousand people have come to Ricky's Retreat to rest, talk and eat pizza on Fridays. Four live there now.
For six years, Ricky's Retreat diligently paid its $800-a-month rent. Last year, the lender E*Trade Bank foreclosed on the owner and Chavez was given 60 days to vamoose. Ricky's Retreat was scheduled to be evicted by Feb 2, but attorney Dustin Dodgin from Klein, DeNatale, Goldner negotiated an extension to April 26.
When I heard about the foreclosure, I thought: opportunity. A bank can earn some good guy points by negotiating a deal to keep Ricky's Retreat, Ricky's Retreat. That works, most often in the movies or in children's stories.
Here it was a combination of compassion (40 percent) and roll-up-your sleeves hard work. Attorney Dodgin tap-danced his way into a couple more months by telling the bank an offer was on the way.
This gave Chavez and supporters time to plan two fundraisers -- one at the Nile Theater and the other at Metro Galleries, sponsored by Kaiser Permanente. They raised more than $20,000, down payment money for Realtor and supporter Katy Glentzer to tender an offer -- almost.
A good start, but Chavez and friends still lacked $45,000. Enter Digger Helm, owner of Greenlawn, whose son, Red, died of AIDS. In the final hour, when the bank could be put off no longer, Helm loaned Bakersfield AIDS Project $45,000. The bank (with an assist from Dawn Borda of Remax Magic) accepted the group's offer. The deal closed and Chavez and her people did everything but shoot off fireworks to light the dark morning sky.
"There were a lot of people we didn't know who have been praying for the needs of our population," Chavez said.
Prayed, worked and believed. Sometimes, that's how a house becomes a home.
***
Now, the job is to make Greenlawn's Helm whole and retire the loan.
If you would to donate to Ricky's Retreat, the Web address is, Bakersfieldaidsproject.org .
Checks can made out to Bakersfield AIDS Project, Rescue Ricky's, 910 Grace St., Bakersfield 93305.
For information, call 872-9090.
