Convoy of Hope and Construction Partners Build Gulf Coast House in a Week
For Immediate Release:
Springfield, Mo. - After far too many months of living in a tiny FEMA trailer, Michael and Faye Moore will soon move into a new home for the first time since their house was destroyed in the deadly fury of Hurricane Katrina. Since Sunday, construction crews, in partnership with Convoy of Hope, have been working around the clock to construct the Pascagoula, Miss. couple’s house within one week.
The ambitious project is the brainchild of Joe West, owner of Quiet Valley Construction in Morgantown, W. Va., who in October traveled with a team of 10 to do volunteer construction work with Convoy of Hope in Mississippi. Although West never met the Moores during his trip, he heard of their story and was compelled to take action, promising to design their new home and return to build it.
Susan Scales, a construction coordinator for Convoy of Hope, has been West’s primary contact in Pascagoula since the project’s start. She admits that initially she thought he was just dreaming big, but soon realized West was serious and she quickly partnered with him in achieving his vision for the Moores. After months of planning, Scales said this week is “crunch time.”
Scales says the Moores are deserving people who have been inspiration to many. She describes Faye Moore as a generous woman who is always giving back to others. Michael Moore suffers from poor health, including diabetes, congestive heart failure and kidney failure. On March 8, he had surgery to amputate one leg from the knee down. The construction crews will give Michael Moore what he is physically incapable of doing on his own, building a new, handicap-accessible home for him, his wife and his 21-year-old son.
West and his original team of ten have inspired individuals, churches and corporations throughout West Virginia and beyond to unite in support of this project. More than 20 agencies from West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin and California are partnering together to provide the supplies needed to construct the Moores’ home.
“These ten men went back and lit up their whole church, which lit up the whole city, which expanded out where people heard about it around the state… which honestly is how we change the world,” Scales said of West and his team’s efforts to raise support. She estimates that 65-70 percent of all the supplies going into this new home were donated, including the sheetrock and doors provided by Convoy of Hope.
Starting Sunday, March 11 at 7 a.m., crews, including the volunteers who first came with West in October, began working around the clock to construct the 960 square-foot home in the short timeframe. Preparations of the land were previously made with the help of donated equipment. The city has worked cooperatively alongside the planners to ensure that the house meets all the inspection requirements.
The Moores will not be able to see their home until Saturday, March 17 at 3 p.m. when there will be an exciting unveiling ceremony. Thanks to television stations in Biloxi and West Virginia, a live-feed will allow project supporters in West’s hometown to view the ceremony and see the result of their donations. A giant banner will display the names of every individual and organization that played a part in this special undertaking that proves the power of working together to serve those in need.
For more information:
Jeff Nene, Media and Communications Director, 417/860-2196 mobile
Kristin Kubitschek, Public Relations Director, 417/823-8998 office, 417/894-9084 mobile
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For more than ten years, Convoy of Hope™, a nonprofit organization, has provided resources to organizations and churches to meet physical and spiritual needs for the purpose of making the community a better place. This is accomplished through domestic and international outreaches, supply lines, and disaster response.