Nine people, armed with hope, spent half a week repairing the chaos that Hurricane Irene left in her wake a year ago.
The team of volunteers worked with the Aurora United Methodist Church Disaster Recovery Team on the home of Flora Nixon, whose home was condemned after sustaining flood damage during the hurricane.
Since Memorial Day, teams have come from across the country to build a new home for Nixon.
“Volunteers have done all of it except the heating and electrical,” said Tom Gates, project manager.
The latest team came from Charlotte’s Harrison United Methodist Church.
The build was a first for Susan Little.
“We felt like some of the survivors from the hurricane were people who were forgotten and there was still a lot of work to be done,” she said.
Little’s husband, Denny, and Scott Reisterer were part of the team.
Denny Little said he got involved because the need was there.
“We’ve been blessed and wanted to give back to people who were in need,” he said.
Reisterer was happy to help and glad he had the time to give.
“If you look into your heart, you know it’s the right thing to do,” he said.
They spent the first day on the job laying flooring and installing kitchen cabinets.
“It’s been a … very positive experience,” Susan Little said.
A visit from the homeowner added to the experience.
“I tell you, y’all just don’t know what you’re doing for me,” Nixon said.
Susan Little considered herself an assistant on the project. She said she had no experience building homes, but she provided an extra set of hands that had been put to good use. Regardless of their experience, she said, such a project is one others should consider doing.
“If you can just reach out to a community and help out, it makes such a big difference,” she said. “It keeps the community strong and it feels good to help somebody. That’s what the Lord wanted us to do.”