Backus Employees Quick to Donate Their Time and Energy to Extreme Home Makeover
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It literally has taken a small army of dedicated volunteers working together around the clock to construct a new home for the Girard family of Voluntown, who were chosen by ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."
Backus employees have been quick to donate their time and energy to the cause, from helping to feed the thousands of workers at all hours of the day, providing massage therapy, to kicking off the demolition of the old house.
Georgette Vachon, a therapist with The Center for Healthcare Integration (CHI), volunteered her massage services Sunday morning to construction workers, many of whom were sore, tired, cold and wet.
She said massages were slower than anticipated, mainly due to the fact that production was behind about four hours when she arrived. "The workers were mostly focused on pouring the foundation," she said.
CHI therapist Sue Simmons-Stahl worked with two other massage therapists Monday night into early Tuesday morning in a heated tent near the production site. Many of the workers had been working 24-plus hour shifts, and were cold and exhausted.
Despite the long hours and frigid temperatures that night, she said the construction workers were happy and good natured, and had no complaints. "Positive energy is being poured into that house," she said.
Voluntown resident, Debbie Barber, CHUC, PACU, participated in Saturday's Brave Heart Walk that kicked-off the demolition of the Girard home. She also worked in the Salvation Army canteen to help feed the tradesmen.
"It is such an exciting time in our small town to have this major production happen," she said. "Many families go through difficult times, however, the Girard family really had endured more than most families have to deal with."
She said it was great to see the community and all the volunteers from all over join forces and work together, adding, "I feel honored to do a small deed to those who have given unselfishly of themselves."
Co-workers Loree Osowski and Rachel Taranto, both second shift ED Registrars/Bed Control Monitors, volunteered the midnight to 4 a.m. shift on Monday.
Calling the site "organized chaos," they walked the work area offering the workers food from boxes filled with hot drinks and soup donated from local businesses. "It was extremely cold, 20 degrees with a wind chill of well below zero. This did not stop the consistency of work," Ms. Osowski said, who along with Ms. Taranto, volunteered for two more shifts.
"The workers went non-stop, shuttle busing coming and going every couple hours," she said. "Exhausted workers were sleeping on tables (hard hat and all) and asleep upright in chairs awaiting the shuttle to go home."
Ms. Osowski said it was amazing to see the entire community coming together. "When we first arrived at the area, there was little more than a level area with foundation. By the time we left our shift at 4:30 am, the second floor of the house was going up," she said.
Christina Senuta, Patient Navigator Program, helped with everything from painting, putting up tents and signs, to making badges for contractors and other volunteers.
"The family is receiving quite a gift from their community, friends and family, but I think I can speak for all of us who volunteered that the real gift was for us to have the chance to be part of something so incredibly special," Ms. Senuta said.