Thunder Helps Give Family New Home

The Thunder basketball team is making a difference off the court. After days of hard work, they gave a family the surprise of a lifetime.

Tuesday, April 7th 2009, 12:19 am

By: News 9


By Amy Lester, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Thunder basketball team is making a difference off the court. After days of hard work, they gave a family the surprise of a lifetime.

The family is a grandmother and her grandkids. She closed her beauty shop to raise them, four are out of the house, she has two left. With no money for home repairs, the Thunder and Rebuilding Together stepped in to change their lives.

From new furniture, to blinds, light fixtures and carpet, some of the tallest people around gave this house a makeover.

"Guys like us who grew up and we didn't have everything like we have now, we wasn't as fortunate as we are now so, we want to give back you know," said Thunder forward Kevin Durant.

"The first time I looked at this house, the floor was falling through, the bathroom floor was falling through, the plaster was falling off, it's really disheartening to know people lived like this," said Tim Reardon with Rebuilding Together OKC.

Learn more about Rebuilding Together OKC.

Now, it's a different story. Ethel Cheatham and her grandkids, Isaac and Kareema, arrived in a limo to see their remodeled home. Once inside, the surprise started to set in.

"I'm so full of joy, ‘cause I never dreamed this would happen to me, never in my wildest dream," said Ethel Cheatham.

The house has new tile, paint, floors, windows and sheetrock. Kareema no longer has to sleep in the living room, the former junk room with cracked walls is now repaired for her.

"It's really great. I love it and I'm so glad I got my room back and I got it fixed," said Kareema.

Isaac's room sports the Thunder color and players' signatures. He even has a basketball goal built by the team.

"I think it's great because before we really had to live in poor conditions. There was a hole through the window, it was very cold," Isaac said.

The family even received a gift certificate for makeovers and a suite for them at Friday's Thunder game. A whirlwind of generosity that this family will never forget. Volunteers still have to finish painting and do some minimal repairs.

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