It had been a long four days of hard labor, but Friday, September 11^th, was the culmination of the project. Home Depot, Whatcom Volunteer Center staff, and community volunteers all pitched in during the final hours to make the unveiling special- some arriving at 5:30 in the morning to finish the deck, landscaping and moving furniture. We kept fueled by Woods Coffee and our encroaching deadline.

Only an hour and a half later than planned, the Rider truck was carefully positioned so the family couldn’t see the finished house from the road. The excitement from the small crowd of volunteers wasn’t dimmed by their weariness after nine hours painting, hammering, lifting, positioning, hauling, shoveling, planting and cleaning. After an interminable amount of time, probably 7 or 8 minutes, the truck was slowly moved to the side and the Ness family gazed upon their newly renovated home for the first time. The next 20 minutes were filled with a tour of the home and yard, presentations, pictures and interviews. The family was openly astonished at the improvements and grateful to all who participated. There were tears from both the family and the Home Depot volunteers. Neighbors and friends came by to look and offer congratulations and after a final group picture with workers and family, some of us packed up and went home while others stayed to talk to the family and share their stories. And, there was pizza (graciously donated by Little Ceasars) so that there was incentive for the weary volunteers to stay a little longer and admire their hard work.

By Aly Hoover and Susan Porter