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HOPE FORCE: BUILDING WALLS OF HOPE!!

The horrors of the massive tornado that struck western Kentucky late December 2021 has long been out of the news cycle.  However, communities like Mayfield, Dawson Springs and surrounding areas are sadly still recovering.  There are survivors of this massive tragedy that are grateful to be alive, but they’ve lost virtually everything; perhaps most significantly, the place they once called home.  In some ways, equally devastating, they were on the brink of losing all hope. Suddenly and unexpectedly, hope was on their horizon. The local, long-term recovery group, in collaboration with Hope Force International and others, shared good news that they could scarcely believe: they had been selected to receive a brand-new home to replace the one stolen by the tornado!

The ability to undertake such an amazing endeavor is a direct result of a new initiative of Hope Force called “Pre-Fabulous.”

This program creates an opportunity for financial partners to donate toward needed materials — followed by volunteers who frame the walls of a 1,200 square foot home at a remote location — then transported to the survivor’s homesite. This has been incredibly rewarding for volunteers, while life-altering for disaster survivors who never dreamed that something like this was even possible.  Many people who want to help find it exceedingly difficult to drop everything and leave at a moment’s notice following tragic events.  However, they often can offer a Saturday to join in with others from work, church or school to lend a hand in building a home for someone who has lost so much and in need of a “hand up.”

On a recent, beautiful spring day in Nashville, the air was filled with laughter, fun and excitement as congregants from Woodmont Christian Church came together to serve a greater purpose. They gathered to pre-fab the walls of a 1,200 square foot house in the church's parking lot for a family in western Kentucky who had lost their home to the December tornado. Within a few hours, a stack of 2x4’s turned into walls for a home…one board at a time. While walls were built for the tornado survivors, camaraderie was built between church members.

The next week, the house was erected and “in the dry.” The windows and exterior doors were in place…the roof soon to be shingled.  As the walls went up, the homeowners were amazed to see the progress; the healing from the pain and frustration of the last 18 months went deep...their hope for a better future restored.

Unfortunately, there are many communities and families across sections of the country that have experienced tragedy similar to that of western Kentucky. People are in dire need of experiencing God’s tangible love, expressed through others’ willingness to roll up their sleeves in practical compassion.

Join us in extending help and inspiring hope in the heart of disaster survivors!  For just $25,000, you can help build the shell of a 1,200 square foot home — from the subfloor up — including windows, exterior doors, shingles and transportation to site.

CLICK HERE FOR A ONE-PAGE OVERVIEW OF "PRE-FABULOUS"

If interested in participating in a "Pre-Fabulous" Build or for more info, please email Disasters Services Director, Joey Stoltzfus, at Joey.stoltzfus@hopeforce.org