Cumru family receives free home makeover
HBA Restoring Hope Foundation completes 8th volunteer remodel
A buzz of activity surrounded a home on Belair Avenue in Cumru Township last month. Homeowner Liza Chisholm and her two teenage sons were the winners of a free oneweek home makeover courtesy of the HBA Restoring Hope Foundation.
This is the eighth remodel the group of all volunteers has completed since the Foundation’s inception in 2010. The goal of the organization is to help restore the lives of hard-working middle-income families in Berks County who have fallen on tough times, and its focus is on giving a “hand-up, not a handout.”
Liza is a single mother who works two jobs as a nurse. In July 2016, Liza found her life unraveling after the death of her 23-yearold daughter, Haley-Rae, so it’s no surprise that she let things go around the house. Her siding needed to be repaired, her deck was collapsing, she had no lights in one room, and the house needed quite a bit of TLC.
After sending the entire family to a local hotel, volunteers descended on the Chisholm home and began the remodel on Thursday, Sept. 6. The work was completed by Friday, Sept. 14 just in time for the Big Reveal the next day. Hundreds of volunteers and local businesses that donated both time and materials made the remodel possible.
Every project is different, and every year the group faces unique challenges. This year the biggest challenge was the extensive work that needed to be done to the exterior of the home along with all the rain, but
they got it done!
Some of the improvements to the exterior of the home included new roofing, gutters, siding and stucco along with a new deck, landscaping, lawn, and a shed.
But the home’s interior was definitely not ignored; nearly every square inch was worked on including the installation of a new water heater and HVAC, a completely transformed bathroom and kitchen, and new carpeting, furniture, accessories, and window treatments.
When the Chisholms saw the completed project for the first time, they were overwhelmed.
A day after the Reveal, Liza said, “No words will ever do justice to just how life-changing this experience has been and continues to be. The unexpected and immediate changes in myself and children are truly amazing. Your organization did so much more than transform our home. Thank you for coming into our lives and restoring our home and us. We are forever grateful.”