Crews from the hit television show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" were spending the weekend making a Voluntown family's dreams come true.
On Thursday, the TV show announced it would be working on the Girard family home this week. Work began in earnest on Saturday.
But the work is not limited to the television production team - the whole town was getting involved. The scene in this tight-knit small Connecticut community could have been taken from a Frank Capra movie.
While Saturday was a day off for some, in Voluntown it is a work day. There's a lot to do when you rip down a house and build another one from scratch.
Early Saturday morning, a parade of volunteers and equipment made its way to the big build. Some 2,000 volunteers were on hand.
"This is the biggest thing coming to Voluntown," said Spencer Grillo from his package store.
Businesses were putting out the welcome mat for the crew and volunteers. This included the main package store in town and restaurants too. The local firefighters and police were helping direct traffic.
"This is what we do," explained John Knapp, a volunteer firefighter. He made it clear that Voluntown is full of volunteers with the will-do spirit.
The thousands of people were pitching in to help build a brand new home for a family they said deserves it most.
The Girard's family home burned to the ground last year. Then, a double tragedy rocked the family and community. In June, Thomas Girard and his 18-year-old son Marc drowned during a family swim.
Thom and three of his children went for a swim in a local lake. When Thom began having trouble breathing, Marc made sure his two younger siblings were safe before rushing into the lake to help his father. Both died as Marc tried to save his father’s life, leaving Carol and her four children Adam, Jacqueline, Lucas, and Hannah devastated.
Marc had just graduated from Norwich Free Academy and was planning to study to become a priest.
Thom, who was a computer technician, donated his time to fund raise for the elderly and the poor and to repair computers at the children’s elementary school.
After the fire, the family members moved into a tent, then into a tiny camper on their property.
Eventually, they were forced to move to Carol’s mother’s house, almost 40 miles away from where the children go to school. The children sleep where there is room -- in the living room or in the cellar, due to lack of space.
The “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” designers will build the family a new home with the help of Colchester builder, Home Designs By Bruno, and hundreds of volunteers and workers.
"They deserve it," Grillo said echoing a sentiment heard over and over in Voluntown over the past couple of days.
There was more going on in town as part of the spirit of giving...
The Red Cross was holding a blood drive all weekend and Monday at the Voluntown Elementary School in the name of the Girard family. Every donor will sign a plaque they're hoping will hang in the new Girard home.
A fundraiser for the family was to be held at the firehouse in town. It was scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon. Everyone was invited to the event. The TV design team was supposed to be on hand to meet folks from the community.
