A home in Perrysburg is getting a makeover thanks to volunteers and a pastor who decided to try his hand at being a "Big Brother."
Pastor Tom Martin of Cedarcreek Church only has daughters and his life got a little more exciting when 10-year-old Dillion and 7-year-old Dakota came into his life through Big Brothers and Big Sisters.
"There's no off-switch, I learned pretty quick with boys." he says, "With girls there was usually a way to turn them off, with boys there's no turning them off. But, it's been pretty cool."
He connected with the boys when their mother Rhianna reached out.
"Rhianna came to me with tears in her eyes and told me she's been kind of on hold." Martin recalls. "Her boys have been on a waiting list for over two years and I thought, boy, I could probably help her out now."
He became a "big brother" to the boys and learned that their the home they shared with their disabled mom and teenage sister Brittany was in pretty bad shape.
That's when Pastor Martin, along with Pastor Lee Powell of Cedarcreek Church and a team of volunteers got involved. In just a week's time, they improved siding, redid the porches, put in new floor coverings and painted the walls. They also made improvements like buying a brand new bed for Rhianna, who is facing several back surgeries.
Martin estimates the value of the home makeover at $25,000.
The family will see the results of all the hard work on Sunday at four p.m.
Friday, May 24 2013 8:56 PM EDT2013-05-25 00:56:34 GMT
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Friday, May 24 2013 8:56 PM EDT2013-05-25 00:56:34 GMT
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Friday, May 24 2013 6:16 PM EDT2013-05-24 22:16:18 GMT
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Friday, May 24 2013 4:27 PM EDT2013-05-24 20:27:22 GMT
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