Kathy asked me to blog today about her incredible circle of friends who have gone to extraordinary lengths to help her with this project house. They have volunteered and contributed and accepted nothing in return, but a thank you. What a bunch of nice people.

Paul Harwood has gone way above and beyond with materials, supplies, equipment and problem solving. (By the way, he owns and operates a couple of great stores. See the Ace Hardware link on the right hand navigation bar.)

Kathy was Dan Swanson’s supervisor during her MetLife days. (She was Director of Information Services.) Dan worked for three days clearing and moving and anything else we asked of him. He even brought a bunch of drinks for the volunteers and supplied the shop vac. (We love the shop vac.) Dan has also been making calls during the day while we have been working on the house.

Rick Cyr flew up from Florida to help Kathy load dump trucks and clear a basement. He is going home this weekend after he helps us load the U-Haul for the yard sale.

Kathy’s favorite Cousin Diane has been sending her emails of encourage her through the rough spots. Here is a sample:

“All I can say is WOW! What an unbelievable transformation and you have changed the life of a nice woman. Thank God for wonderful people like you and your workers. I love you and I’m so proud of you!!! Congratulations on this incredible project. My prayers are coming your way.”

And then there is me. I’ve got to know Kathy well this year when she hired me to help her market her two small businesses. I am so glad we have become friends. As crazy as this may sound, (especially after my incident with poison ivy today.) I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in this project.

We would also like to express our gratitude for the new friends we have made. Danny Hovey, Alice’s neighbor has been a tremendous help in repairing the house. We are glad to have gotten to know Danny and his family.

Brandon Frazier called us to volunteer with some carpentry tasks after seeing the story on the news. His late grandfather had a similar problem and he wanted to honor his memory. It is really nice to know there are young people like Brandon in the world.

Jay York organized a team of church volunteers to help us clear last Saturday. I was amazed how much work was accomplished that day. Carol Payne arranged for us to have the yard sale at Shallowford Presbyterian Church. This is a church that rallies around its members when they need help.

The City of Chamblee has some of the most hard-working and decent people you will ever meet. Thanks you, Orlan Roper, Marci Hooper-Smith, Officer J. J. Davis for all you have done to help. Thank you for your patience in extending the deadline for us to get it done. Thank you for hauling all of that trash away. You saved us thousands of dollars. Chamblee Citizens should be proud to live in such a humane city.

Thank you to Great Clips of Loehmann’s Plaza. They will be offering hair cuts for $7.99. All donations will go to help pay for repairs and clean-up.

Finally, We thank Alice’s friends, Jean, Deb, Harriet and Karen, who have organized a funding account to help pay for repairs. If you would like to send a donation to help support this effort, you can mail your check to:

Jean Locke
c/o Silver Oak Contracting
P.O. Box 996
Lilburn, GA 30048

Make your check out to Alice Haupt. The account is managed by Jean, under the advice of a CPA.

It is good to know that there are so many people like Kathy in the world, isn’t it?

—Reported by Jackie Wells Smith

No photos today. View Day 11 report and photos.