LITTLE ELM — Friends and neighbors lined up on Briarwood Drive in Little Elm to give a gift from the heart.
More than 200 people from Elevate Life Church in Frisco revealed a project they have been working on for six months: A new home for one of their own.
"We pretty much went through the entire house, gutted it, and fixed everything," said Pastor Josh Craft.
Crews renovated every corner of the house for Tim and Sherry George, but the couple's 16-year-old daughter, Shauna was the inspiration behind the repairs.
"She was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, and there was a grassroots movement of people within our church to help their family," Craft said. "Help the family through a trying and hard process."
When the family arrived, the crowd cheered. As they took a tour of the home, their excitement turned into tears.
"I have an awesome room and an awesome house," said Shauna George. "It's beyond more than what I expected — beyond anything I could ask for."
From the painting to the floors to the furniture, everything inside the house was changed. The home includes a new air conditioning and septic system. Mold problems had forced the family to leave the home.
"This will be a place that will be clean for her, easier for her to get around where she can be safe, without breathing dust and mold," said Shauna's dad, Tim George.
Volunteers also installed a special shower for the teenager. She will need it in two weeks after doctors remove one of her femurs.
"There is a shower that she will be able to get in and out of, and that is a huge deal," Tim George said. "She can shower on her own."
For Shauna, the renovation was overwhelming, but the giving didn't stop there. She was thrilled when she saw a new pickup truck roll up to her driveway. Her beat-up, 1964 vintage International Harvester pickup also got a makeover.
"I just want to say thank you to all the people that contributed in any way," Shauna said.
For the church, the gift was a message to of faith, love, and hope for the George family — they are not alone.
Tim George said this is a gift his family will never forget.
"To give back to our family of choice that has blessed us with all of this," he said. "To find others in need and pass it along, pay it forward."
E-mail mdiaz@wfaa.com
