COEUR d'ALENE — She opened her front door and glanced at its faded teal, the same as the trim that had probably been on the house since her parents built it in 1960.

"The door is going to be fuchsia!" Sandy Swank said Tuesday, her face lighting up.

Grace Berry of J.B. Painting Co. LLC cracked open a fresh can of the vivid paint, dipped her brush and began restoring vibrancy to the old front door, careful to not paint over the peephole that looks out to a stand of tall pines across Honeysuckle Drive in Coeur d'Alene.

"It's wonderful," Swank said, "most generous."

Swank, 69, was the winner of the 2025 J.B. Painting Senior Paint Giveaway. The J.B. crew spent the day scraping and painting her home for free, a value of up to $5,000. Brenda Berry, who owns the company with husband Jason Berry, called Swank in mid-August to share the good news.

"She thought it was a scammer," Brenda Berry said with a laugh. "I would have too."

"I knew I didn't enter anything," Swank said.

Swank was anonymously nominated for the home makeover. The person who submitted the nomination form wrote that Swank devoted her life to caring for her elderly parents until they passed, she has cared for ill friends or taken in their pets after their passing, and she recently held a birthday party for a 90-year-old to carry on the tradition for her friend who recently passed. Financial struggles have been real, as well.

"She has had a lot of loss and still holds her head up willing to help others," the nominator wrote. "I believe she deserves to be blessed as she has been a selfless blessing to others."

Swank said she cried when she read the nomination.

“They just knew me so well, past and current," she said. "I’m trying to find out who did it."

She said she was still in disbelief as she watched the paint crew at work.

"This is the best thing ever," she said. "They're great."

Swank grew up in the home, got married and moved away but returned to care for her mom after her father's passing. Now retired, Swank spent the last 20 years as a caregiver.

“My dad was paralyzed, and my mom took care of him,” she said. "When he passed away, I came to live with Mom to help and take care of her.”

Swank had done her best to keep up on the house, but the paint was ready for a new coat. She had worked on some sections with paint that ended up changing color due to tint settling in the bottom of the can, resulting in mismatched patches. Her rhododendron bush had also done some damage as it rubbed away paint through the years. 

Sorting through about 30 entries, the hearts of the J.B. Painting team were pulled to Swank's nomination.

“We didn’t know what shape her house was in or that it hadn’t been painted in years," Brenda said. "But that’s her story. We picked the story — we picked Sandy’s story because somebody had a heart of gold and talked her up."

J.B. Painting Co. is no stranger to giving back. Painting crews helped out at Camp Lutherhaven Ministries in 2020 and the company held its inaugural Senior Paint Giveaway in 2021, then pitched in to paint the exterior of Mica Flats Grange Hall in 2024. 

“We’re talking good about people and trying to bring people together to do good deeds and help each other out,” Brenda said. "We've always done a project of some kind, but I'll tell you what, we get more joy giving to someone who deserves it and who has given all of her life."

The Berrys had help along the way as they made this project a reality for Swank, who had recently been quoted an unaffordable $3,600 to have rain gutters installed on her house. From Precision Rain Gutters swooping in to install gutters for no cost to a free banner by Pyramid Printing and complimentary lunch for the painting crew from Northwest Pizza Company, J.B. Painting has been grateful for the community support.

"You hear so much bad stuff on the news and then to know that there’s people out there that want to do and want to give — I got so much joy out of this,” Brenda said.

Two of Swank's friends came by to see the excitement as new off-whites and grays and a pop of fuchsia brightened the place.

Felicia Waters, who has known Swank for 15 years, said Swank was deserving of this house painting gift.

"It needed to be done so bad," Waters said. "She's thrilled. She's such a nice person. She's been running around the house, jumping up and down. She couldn't wait for this day to get here."

Brenda Phillips went to Coeur d'Alene High School with Swank. She said the project was amazing and wonderful.

"It makes you cry," she said.

    Sandy Swank laughs with Brenda Berry as the J.B. Painting Co. crew tackles an eave Tuesday.
  

    Xhavior Meza works on Sandy Swank's house in the Tuesday heat. Swank won a free house painting job through the J.B. Painting Senior Paint Giveaway.
  

    Sandy Swank gives a last look to the years-old teal on the door and trim of her home before the house received new paint Tuesday. The door is now a sunny pink fuchsia.