Welcome Home, Fannie

What this episode covers

OWDER SPRINGS, Ga. - When Fannie’s neighborhood flooded last fall, she had to walk away from her house—a place that was home to not only herself, but her daughter and granddaughter as well. With no flood insurance, the retired grandmother had little means to pay for repairs. So when the floodwaters receded, she did what she little she could, spending every day back at her house—raking the lawn or simply sitting alone in her car. Click here to help disaster victims! “I don’t have anywhere else to go,” she said. “I just want to be home.” Fortunately, Fannie was in for a unexpected surprise when she was one of four families chosen to be part of an Extreme Blessing home makeover project by Operation Blessing. More than 160 volunteers—including Master’s Commission students from Rockford, Ill., and Atlanta, along with some Home Depot associates—spent 5 days completely restoring 4 homes. “The house [Fannie’s] itself had a character of its own,” said Jordan, a volunteer with Master’s Commission. “It was a pink house that stuck out in a street of houses colored brown and gray.” But the inside was a different picture altogether; the walls were moldy and much of her furniture and possessions had been destroyed. “The homeowners were asked to stay away from their home for the week and told that we would just be putting up a little drywall,” said Jody Herrington, OBI’s U.S. director of disaster relief. “When they came home, however, the house was completed with new carpet, vinyl floors, painted walls, furniture and special touches from the hearts of our team and volunteers.” The dramatic unveiling was an emotional one for both Fannie and the volunteers who had worked long hours to restore her house. “I was once again reminded what a blessing it is to bless people,” Jordan said. In addition to the makeovers, OBI teams helped nearly 98 percent of the families in the Five Oaks community over the course of several weeks, gutting and sanitizing their homes. HOW YOU CAN HELP You can help by making an online donation toward OBI's disaster relief efforts. With your support, we can continue to provide emergency relief and recovery. Please make an on-line donation today. www.operationblessing.org

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