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SOUTH JORDAN — Two families along the Wasatch Front are receiving help from the Heart 2 Home Foundation, a group that makes houses accessible for residents with disabilities. There's a remarkable connection between the two homes.
Corey and Leisha Roberts have three children, two boys and girl. The two boys use wheelchairs, as does the single mom Katie Terry, whose house in American Fork is also a Heart 2 Home project. But while she waits for improvements to her place, you might be surprised what's she's doing.
Heart 2 Home, a Utah Foundation, puts community and corporate volunteers and donations to work for home makeovers.
“Whether it’s the contractors or the people who get involved and tear shrubs out, or whatever, everybody’s helpful,” explained Greg Adamson, president of Heart 2 Home Foundation.
“I just like helping people and I like painting and I like moving sod and anything else so, there’s a variety,” Heart 2 Home volunteer Sharon Kern said.
“This is a great opportunity just to give back to the community,” Brian Draney, another Heart 2 Home volunteer, said. “There’s always people in need."
Terry has been volunteering with Heart 2 Home Foundation for a year. Disabled in a car accident 9 years ago and raising two children with disabilities, she still leads a very active life. The former college soccer and basketball player now plays wheelchair basketball, has learned to water ski, rock climb, golf and handcycle. But this week she's helping to make improvements to the Roberts home.
Drew and Noah have Duchenne muscular dystrophy — an inherited disorder that involves rapidly worsening muscle weakness that affects only males, though females can be carriers. It occurs in approximately 1 out of every 3,600 male infants.
Heart 2 Home is installing a track system in the home to help get the boys from their bed to the bathroom. The system will allow mobility and give the parents back a break from lifting.
“We come in and we try to make their homes beautiful and function for people who either have wheelchair needs or other needs that their home is keeping them from enjoying it fully,” Adamson explained.
The boys have always hoped for their own accessible clubhouse. Terry understands. She says the improvements are going to completely change their lives and their daily routines.
"The independence for these kids, for them to be able to do it on their own is going to help their self-esteem, it's just going to help everything,” she said. “It's going to be, it's going to be awesome."
She says she has so much fun helping on these projects and she loves doing it. Then the organization surprised her and said they were going to do her house too.
“I’m still in shock,” she said.
She lives in an older-style home that is not conducive to being in a wheelchair. The organization’s goal in her home is to make it more wheel chair accessible, by improving the shower area and expanding areas within her home to make it better fit her.
“We started Monday morning at 6 o’clock and did a bunch of demo,” Brad Wilson with Wilson Construction said. “We’ll be done by tomorrow night. We’ll be ready for Saturday.
She knows volunteers have also put her newly improved house in the awesome category for her and her children, 10-year-old Carter and 8-year-old Kindra. The volunteers are also focusing on the kitchen.
“My kids are excited because I might actually learn how to ‘cook,'” she said while laughing.
Terry hasn’t been home since Sunday and won’t see her new and improved kitchen until Saturday at noon.
“(I’m) going crazy,” she said, “but I’m way excited.”
The Roberts return home Friday afternoon for their big unveiling.
Email:cmikita@ksl.com
