Great Grandmother In Guthrie Gets Home Rebuilt In Time For Thanksgiving

Jacqueline Sit, News 9

GUTHRIE, Oklahoma -- A great-grandmother in Guthrie is getting her home rebuilt by a group in Edmond just in time for Thanksgiving.

Virginia Bounds has lived through some tough times in the last few years. She lost her husband to cancer and her son and great-grandchild also battled the disease.

Her life was falling apart and so was the home she'd been living in for 30 years.

"The house went unlived in and anytime a house goes unlived in, things begin to go wrong. The sediments sits harder, nothing is running and moving," said Virginia Bounds.

Bounds said the dozens of volunteers who are helping her rebuild were God-sent and a miracle.

"The things they're doing, I could never have began to do, it's is a little overwhelming," said Bounds.

This 58-year-old mother lived through a winter without heat and one thing after another started to fall apart.

"We couldn't keep the water running long enough. And you can't put kids in the house without running water or use toilets or facilities and the shower wasn't working, it wouldn't drain," said Bounds.

Dennis Brunner started Homeland Helpers and helped rebuild over two dozen homes in Edmond and Guthrie and now he's helping this great-grandmother.

"We're helping mostly elderly people with the housing. And we found a lot of people that go to our church, that their housing is below poverty level," said Brunner. "It's hard not to help somebody when you go and see what they're living in and walk in and see somebody who doesn't even have running water and got a five gallon bucket next to the toilet to flush it.

Brunner and his team of volunteers installed a whole new bathroom for Bounds.

"We got all the volunteers here today repainting, fixing the trim, fixing everything in a weeks time to get them moved back in by Thanksgiving," said Brunner.

Bounds said it's a blessing and she's so excited it came in time for the holidays.

"They've come and talked to me and they've walked through all this and when it's through this will be absolutely the most amazing miracle I've ever seen," said the 58-year-old. "I just thank God everyday."

Homeland Helpers work solely from donations. Learn how you can help.