July 5th 2007 – At long last the long, white limo that had picked up the Schankweilers at the first of the week pulled into 165 Piney Rd in Lawrenceburg TN.  The renovations to the Schankweiler home by the volunteer team of carpenters, plumbers, electricians, roofers, stucco, landscape and decorating specialists was complete. (See “Project Fresh Start” article.)  All that was left was the “big reveal”.  A modified version of ABC’s Extreme Makeover, Home Edition reveal was used.  Instead of moving a bus, the team used a tractor, owned by “Buttermilk” Wisdom to hide the home from the family.  When they were in position we all yelled “Buttermilk, move that tractor!”

Schankweiler Reveal
The Schankweiler’s – Tommy, Timmy, Sandee Jo, Tonie Jo and Tayler

It was very rewarding to see the looks on the family’s faces and the obvious appreciation that they had for all the hard work that was put in by project coordinator James Crocker, 100+ very talented volunteers and 40+ businesses who donated labor, materials or gave a steep discount on materials.

For the volunteers, lots of new friends were made and the experience was priceless.  I wound up on the four-member electrical crew headed up by Trevor Hamby of Hamby Construction and Electrical.  Also on the electrical crew was Richard McGill, who drove his RV 550 miles from Ohio just to help with this project.  Josh Ray was from much closer, only driving three miles each day to the project.  It was amazing to see how people from five states and on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line worked together.

Schankweiler Kitchen

The other big reward was seeing the results of the team’s labor.  The new kitchen and dining area is absolutely stunning as is the rest of the home.  The edits have been made to the virtual tour of the home.  I placed the before and after scenes consecutively where possible to help readers see the impact of the renovations.

Rear view after project completion

The Tennesseean newspaper had a front page story featuring Project Fresh Start titled “Family’s tragic year turns hopeful“.  The newspaper also made a brief video of the Schankweiler homecoming.

Brett Weaver

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