Mr. Kindelay is a man of few words. Until recently, he lived alone in a small house that he and his wife had shared since the 1950s. Mr. Kindelay’s wife passed away in the 1980s, but his extended family lives within walking distance on the same property, some 150-200 yards away.
Mr. Kindelay worked as a ranch hand as a young man and did so until he retired. Though he has dinner and watches television with his family, he enjoys the independence of having his own home. He also enjoys listening to his battery-powered radio and sitting outside most of the day (even in the heat of summer!) looking out over the plains of his homeland.
Though he is fortunate to live in such a beautiful place with family close by, Mr. Kindelay has suffered the indignity of living in an inadequate home for far too long. The only bathroom in his home was not operable and had been nailed shut. This meant Mr. Kindelay had to walk to his children’s home and back just to use their facilities.
Mr. Kindelay outside his old home before it was torn down.
Mr. Kindelay’s failing health has prevented him from completing the necessary repairs to his home for many years. The floors are decaying with termites. The electricity was turned off due to dangerous wiring that could cause injury, fire, or worse. Mr. Kindelay has no air conditioning nor does he have a wood burning stove to stay warm in the winter.
When SWIRC — a program of National Relief Charities — through their Home Improvement service and a local community partner chose Mr. Kindelay to receive a new home this year, Mr. Kindelay’s response was “I will see if it happens”. He had lived through so many broken promises over the years; he was not convinced that anyone would keep this one.
When we started to tear down the old house he had lived in, Mr. Kindelay finally believed. Each day, he sat under a tree and watched the transformation unfold. He felt “finally” the tribe had come through for him. When his son explained that we were building this home for him, he could hardly believe that this miracle was possible because of the kindness and generosity of total strangers.
Mr. Kindelay's new home!
The house is now finished - the final inspection was completed in October of 2006. The home includes a plaque on the exterior wall that reads “This home built for Mr. Reilly Kindelay by National Relief Charities — October 4, 2006”. The plaque also says “Bless This House” in Mr. Kindelay’s native Apache language.
Your generous support makes it possible to bring the dignity and comfort of a proper home to Elders like Mr. Kindelay in communities all across the Southwest.
