Willie’s Story
“This is a happy, happy day. These are repairs that I would not be able to afford myself.”
~ Mr. Willie Rounds, Community Builders Recipient
Mr. Rounds was born in Cleveland, Mississippi and moved to Portland with his six children in 1975. He became a homeowner in the Humboldt neighborhood after retiring from Greyhound in 1996 and has been there ever since.
Most everyone that passes by his house, if he doesn’t know them by name, Mr. Rounds surely knows them by face. Whether it is a friendly wave, a silent nod or a deep laugh between old friends, Mr. Rounds lets people know what it means to have community.
For years, Mr. Rounds’ porch had been falling into disrepair. At this year’s Paint & Repair-a-thon Mr. Rounds sat with his cup of coffee and watched as volunteers in Lease Crutcher Lewis trucks pulled up and unloaded table saws and equipment. Inside the house a plumber was fixing a leaky faucet, and a team of carpenters were repairing the sub floor in the bathroom and laying a new floor in the living room.
Mr. Rounds’ favorite thing about his neighborhood is to sit on his porch and watch the kids at Jefferson school and see the people come and go. Since the repairs this summer people passing by now tell Mr. Willie how nice of a porch he has. With a nod and a slight smile, Mr. Rounds replies, “It sure is nice enough.”
Mr. Rounds is looking forward to being in his home for a long, long time.
