Benevolence is Always ‘in Style’

Meet Josh.

(Photo courtesy of Jon Goering)

Josh is an exuberant young man with an infectious laugh and a love of NASCAR. He never meets a stranger; everyone instantly becomes his buddy.  Josh also has cerebral palsy. You’d never guess it from his enthusiastic attitude, but he has had more than his fair share of hardships in his short 21 years. In 2010, Josh’s grandfather–who was also one of his major caretakers–was struck by a car and killed instantly as he was helping Josh off the school bus in front of their home.   Soon after the tragedy, Josh’s classmates at school and others in the community rallied together and helped the family raise money for the funeral expenses.

Then, in 2011, a small group of volunteers came together and made it their personal mission to build Josh and his grandmother a new home.  You see, this is the home they were living in when the tragedy occurred. Tarps covered the roof to protect the interior from the elements, the floors sagged and the electricity bills were astronomical.  Also, the accessibility for Josh’s wheelchair was extremely limited.

Within weeks, the Josh Carden Project was born.  The group’s mission was simple- to build a comfortable and beautiful home where Josh and his grandmother could live debt free. The house was to be built 100% on donated materials and labor.  Local businesses were contacted and money and materials began coming in.  Since the property where Josh had lived was being zoned commercial, a land swap was arranged so the new home could be built on a shady street without any through traffic.  After nearly three years and many donations, countless prayers and unbelievable amounts of donated labor, Josh was finally able to get the keys to his beautiful new home on December 22, 2012.

In addition to being gorgeous, modern and energy efficient, the new house has plenty of room for Josh to maneuver his wheelchair. The extra large kitchen is open to the living and dining room, providing unlimited mobility for Josh.  There is even a safe room in the center of the home where they can weather any storms that may pass over safely.

The home was designed by Donovan Builders, LLC, whose owner Jack Donovan is familiar with making a home wheelchair accessible.  Josh’s master bedroom and bathroom are completely ADA accessible, and no detail was overlooked when considering the mobility throughout the rest of the home.

To assure wheelchair accessibility, the flooring needed to be hardwood or tile throughout the home.  In his grandmother’s bedroom, however, the team wanted to provide a rug for warmth and coziness.  Mohawk provided this Mohawk Simpatico 8×10 rug to cover the bedroom floor.  It was a beautiful addition to this room that was decorated with items solely provided by donations.

This soft bathroom rug was also donated by Mohawk to dress up the bathroom.  The Geo-Spa Montage rug gives hints of spa blue and green that ties in with any color scheme.

With the help of the volunteers in the community and the benevolence of companies such as Mohawk, Josh and his grandmother are now able to enjoy a beautiful home filled with warmth and amenities that were nowhere to be found in their previous house.   Everyone at The Josh Carden Project appreciates all of the help they were given to coordinate the massive effort of building a home from 100% donated items.   The smiles on the family’s face reflect the joy that was felt by everyone on the day the keys to the home were handed over.

To view an uplifting video of the event, you can visit the Josh Carden Project facebook page.

Written by:

Beth Bryan, Wife/Mother – UnskinnyBoppy