When Alton Chalk arrived in Gilroy he didn’t know anyone. He was
forced out of his second-floor apartment in New Orleans by
Hurricane Katrina and suspected that he would never return.
He arrived in Gilroy with no friends or family and very few
belongings.
When Alton Chalk arrived in Gilroy he didn’t know anyone. He was forced out of his second-floor apartment in New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina and suspected that he would never return.
He arrived in Gilroy with no friends or family and very few belongings.
To say that he has gotten busy would be an understatement. In six months, Chalk has become a member of the community and has no plans to leave. There are too many things he wants to accomplish.
Today he is going to Gavilan College. He goes to the gym. He attends church, and goes to bible studies at various churches in Gilroy three, sometimes four, times a week. He volunteers at food lines.
“I’m gonna be here a while,” said Chalk, 51. “I’m trying to settle down, straighten up a few things, get some things I need.”
Chalk said he is studying at the local junior college and hopes to become a real estate broker. But he said it will take time because he is dyslexic, has had heart surgery, and is disabled from a stroke he suffered in 2000.
But he has an apartment and a car, and has friends. He was provided a head start in South Valley by the generosity of local residents and the hard work of South County Housing. They provided the major items necessary for Chalk to have a chance at starting a new life in a new state, one much different than what he left.
Today, six months later, Chalk also wants it known that he is grateful for the little things. In his new apartment in Gilroy, people in the neighborhood have more than welcomed him, they’ve provided a lot of the small items that make life easier.
“I would like you to please say thanks for me to all the people who helped me,” he said. “People in the neighborhood sent cards, gave me pots and pans and clothes.”
Today, Chalk’s day will be busy. He said he hasn’t really had time to get out and enjoy the sunshine. He said he looks forward to summer heat that isn’t loaded with humidity. And he laughed when asked about a recent cold snap.
“I didn’t think California got that cold,” he said. “I can’t wait for that warm weather.”
