|
This week the team rolls into Levittown, Penn. I loved it there. Everyone was very proud of their homes and communities in Pennsylvania, and after spending some time there, it's obvious why. I could see why this family wanted to stay in that beautiful area.
This week was about a single mom, Marynoel, trying to make it while raising her four boys. Marynoel took her boys from a bad situation with their father and tried to start a new life. She was able to scrape together enough to purchase what she thought was a safe home in a beautiful neighborhood filled with other families and children. Unfortunately, harsh reality set in the moment they arrived. The home was infested with termites and would cost literally tens of thousands of dollars to repair and make livable. Marynoel has a wonderful spirit but she had been knocked down so many times she was starting to give up. It broke my heart to hear her stories of how she would hide in the car and cry so that the boys couldn't see. It was a lonely time for her, working two jobs, living in her parents' dining room, and she just couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel…. We had to help this family.
I was tasked with the design in the common areas of the home and 10-year-old Chris' room. Chris wants to be a magician, so I put together the most fun magic-themed room… including a wand that operated all the lights and electronics. It's always so much easier having such a talented group building this home — McGrath Homes brought three generations of building experience to this family and they really made a stunning place.
Our goal this week was to give Marynoel the life that she and her boys deserve and really reward her for being a great mom. I think we were able to accomplish that. I really related to this story because I was raised by a single mom. I could feel the love; it really struck home. There is something so spectacular about a mother's love.
|
|
Go, army! This week we invaded Lawton, Oklahoma. I didn't know what to think of Lawton, but after spending a wonderful week here with the community and our troops from nearby Fort Sill, it's a place I won't soon forget. There's something very sweet about small towns, and the support we received was huge! Overwhelming even. I met so many wonderful people this week, including the members of an organization called Adopt-a-Soldier, which was started to send letters and care packages to deployed soldiers to let them know that we care. We were able to get 7,000 letters sent to soldiers deployed around the world.
Our goal this week was to get the Westbrooks into a house that would work for them. James, the son, and Gene, the dad, are both in wheelchairs. Dad suffered his injury while training troops in Iraq and returned from the field a paraplegic. One day a few months ago, on the way to a church picnic, the Westbrooks were in a terrible car accident that left young James paralyzed as well. With them being a military family, it was really difficult for Gene to ask for help. Lawton, the loving community it is, sent us over 25,000 letters, including one from the commanding general of the local army base. We had to help this family.... After seeing their house, I knew that they needed our help. They couldn't get one wheelchair through the confines of their house, never mind two.
My projects this week were the common areas of the house, the master bedroom, and the daughter Elizabeth's room. I wanted to make sure they had plenty of freedom of movement in every room. On top of giving them a functional house I also wanted to give them their dream house. The style of the house is a prairie schoolhouse. In the end, our builder Ron Nance and Oakwood Communities built such a beautiful home, it ended up being my dream house as well.
I left this week feeling proud and honored. I was proud about the home we built for the Westbrooks and proud to be an American. It was about the soldiers this week, a constant reminder of the dedication that they have for our country, and if Gene could do it again he would.
|
