Cottage Makeover provided by Builder's Association of
South Florida

On September 11, with a spirit of giving back and honoring the memories of those fellow Americans that were lost in the attacks on the world trade center, over 120 volunteers from the Builders Association of South Florida joined us to bring joy to the kids of His House Children’s Home. Prior to the event, the cottage went through an entire renovation.

The bathrooms were remodeled through donations made by Manny Valladares, the kitchen was completely redone thanks to Paramount Depot and the appliances were graciously donated by Whirlpool. The volunteers participated in painting our administrative building, landscaping, and worked tirelessly to restore one of the cottages to make it something the kids would be proud to call home.

“Even if I just paint this small section of wall it makes a big difference for these kids if they have somewhere nice to be I think it really makes a big difference to them,” said Mauricio Duque whose wife works for Lennar, one of our sponsors for the makeover. The Builders Association of South Florida and Lennar purchased the décor and furniture, transforming it into a gorgeous home.

Volunteer Marcela Daley, was very excited and touched by the experience of working for our children, she even mentioned, “My husband and I thought it was a great project to participate in. Once we got here and we heard that kids had been out of their home and that we will reveal to them the finished project today, I started crying. It was very emotional for me.”
As the day grew hotter and the paint began to dry, the spirits of volunteers never wilted, in fact, they grew less weary as they slowly saw the completion of their work.
“I am helping a child feel that even the small details matter, that I’m doing things to bring happiness to their lives,” said Joy Furshman, wife of Michael Furshman of Solomon & Furshman, LLP, a makeover partner.

Anxiously waiting for the children to arrive, all the volunteers gathered at the cottage to help with the finishing touches in order to brighten up the lives of these children. Once the ribbon was cut and the children were able to walk into their new home, they shouted with joy and began to run towards their new rooms. Every small detail mattered to these children and you could read the gratitude on their faces. As they walked into their rooms, the designer and mastermind behind all of the beautiful colors that embodied this house, Jenny Bencomo of Ikea, said to them, “Boys, this is your new room! How do you like it?” the older boys ran towards the beds and began claiming them and then one of the smaller boys took one look around and yelled, “Yes! My very own alarm clock!” and then grabbed the nearest volunteer to him and hugged her as tight as he could and said, “Thank you so much. I love it!” You could see the tears of joy on all the faces of the people who dedicated their time and efforts to making this home. Despite the long hours, and the blazing heat, this small moment made everything worth it. His House is extremely grateful to all of the volunteers and sponsors for making this makeover possible and we are honored to commemorate the heroes serving our country and our fallen comrades from the September 11 attacks.