Chris Charles (News Channel 11)

Lara Moore
TriCities.com
Nov 5, 5:31 PM EST

"Pray it forward" is a group of Hawkins County volunteers who help military families with household repairs. News Channel 11's Lara Moore introduces us to the family who's house is about to become a home.

We are in Bulls Gap where it is a home make over, Tri-Cities style. A volunteer organization in Hawkins County called Pray it Forward helps military families in need. This shell of a trailer is their next big project.

"We're gonna put it back together for them so they can piece their life back together." Lisa and Roger Hawkins lend a helping hand with pray if forward, and they're gearing up for a big blessing.

"We've got more bad news for you Sgt. Jackson. Your family is alright, but your house burnt down," says Sergeant Danny Jackson recalling that day in July. He was on deployment with the Army when his home was destroyed by a fire.

Jackson came home and tried to rebuild a life for his wife and son, but this is not a one man job. Says Jackson of his wife Trish, "Bless her heart, she's been through thick and thin with me. She finally broke down and couldn't handle it anymore, so she called Roger and Lisa again."

The Hawkins' say making a house a home is a larger task than they'd planned on . "A lot of the needs are just somebody to talk to," says Roger. But they're ready to nail this down. "All we did was call and say hey we have a family who's had a burnout and they bought a shell of a trailer and we're going to fix it. That's all it took," explains Lisa.

Sifting through the memories they can save, and filling in the holes, the Jackson family is ready to roll out the welcome mat. "We'll be able to set down and prop our feet up for a change because the last four months has been hard," say Trish. But in the next two weeks the hard work of others will finally give them a home to call their own again. She says, "Just to have a little place to say hey, it's not much, but this is mine."

Your Tri-Cities News Source will continue to follow the progress of this project, and we'll hear from the Jackson family as they add the finishing touches to their new home.

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