We are a family of four: James and Carol, Jaime (15) and Alexander (10). In June of 2002 Carol was attacked leaving work and suffered severe brain damage. She has progressed remarkably well since then and now the CTHBA are building a new handicap accessible home with the help of local builders and donors.
The story CBS filmed on the Carol’s Home project for the Early Show is up on their web site for viewing: View the video here
Published Thursday, May 14, 2009 12:11 PM
By Stefan Rogenmoser
Summerville Journal Scene
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| Carol Armstrong, who received a new handicap-accessible home in January, was recently interviewed by People Magazine and Dave Price of CBS’s “Early Show.” |
Local story gets national attention –
If you haven’t heard Carol Armstrong’s story, it might just be a matter of time until you and others do. People Magazine’s May 11 issue dedicated a page to Armstrong in their “Heroes in hard times” section.
CBS’s Dave Price interviewed Armstrong last week. The story is set to air next week on the CBS “Early Show,” according to Melissa Villegas, director of communications and marketing for Charleston Trident Home Builders Association, which organized the Carol’s Home project.
Visit www.journalscene.com for pending details on the airing of the CBS “Early Show” featuring Armstrong.
Armstrong broke ground on her new home off Central Avenue in April, and by January she and her family moved in. She is married with two boys.
In 2002 Armstrong was the victim of a savage beating and robbery, leaving her partially brain damaged and in a wheelchair. She had trouble navigating through her old home’s narrow hallways, and lamented the fact that she couldn’t care for her sons when they were sick.
In 2006 the home builders association began looking for way to build Armstrong a handicap-accessible home. Many local builders donated materials, workers and funds to build the home.
Staff writer David Berman contributed to this report.
Wow. We are a little speechless. This is a huge honor for The Charleston Trident Home Builders Association (CTHBA), our members who participated in the project and the Armstrong Family. We would just like to say to all of the new visitors to our site, welcome and thank you for looking us up. Please take your time to read about Carol’s story and how she has recovered remarkably well. It took more than 50 member companies of the CTHBA to pull this off. The companies donated their products, labor and services to make this dream come true for Carol and her family. Many of the companies kept their pledge to donate to the project, despite having hard times in this economy. Please visit the sponsors page before leaving and make a note of who these wonderful people and companies are.
Related stories
Cleaning woman beaten and robbed – 06/12/02
Family turns prayers, energy to helping beating victim – 06/15/02
Beating suspect caught in extensive 3-day manhunt – 06/15/02
A MOMENT IN TIME: Theirs is a love story, one that survived a brutal night that changed everything – 10/13/02
Thanksgiving – 11/28/02
Benefits will help family of badly beaten woman – 03/02/03
Man gets 20 years for beating woman – 05/20/03
On Fathers Day, some old-fashioned honor – 06/19/05
A passage of time – 03/26/06
Association to build house for woman who was disabled in attack – 04/28/08
The undefeated: Carol Armstrong – 04/28/08
Update: Carol Armstrong – Determined to prevail – 04/28/08
Community rallies for woman needing new home – 07/31/08
Grinch can’t dampen holiday spirits – 12/4/08
New chapter for attack survivor/strong> – 01/10/09
nparks@postandcourier.com or 937-5573.
CBS, People visit ‘Carol’s Home’ – 05/14/09
Here is a video made up of stills from the construction of Carol’s home. It starts from a cleared lot and goes through the entire construction process. The video is 39 minutes long. You may need QuickTime installed to view the video. The file size is around 400mb so please download the link if you are planning on playing it several times.
The Charleston Trident Home Builders Association is proud to announce that our Carol’s Home Project is now complete. Carol Armstrong and her family are planning to move into their new home this weekend. We cannot thank each person enough who donated money, time and labor to this project. Please know that we truly have a great deal of respect for you. Your donation will be enjoyed by this family for many years to come. Please take a few moments to view the TV & Newspaper coverage from our celebration. Every TV station and local newspaper did a story. So, since Ty Pennington isn’t here and this is officially my last email on the blog.. i will say those famous words, “Welcome Home Armstrong Family, Welcome Home”.
Melissa Villegas
Channel 5 (WCSC)
Article: http://www.live5news.com/Global/story.asp?S=9626761
Channel 4 (WCIV)
Article & Video: http://www.wciv.com/news/stories/0109/583112.html
Channel 2 (WCBD)
Video aired last night at 6, 10 & 11
Article: http://www.counton2.com/cbd/news/local/article/disabled_crime_victim_gets_new_home/18891/
Post & Courier
http://www.charleston.net/news/2009/jan/07/new_chapter_attack_survivor67525/
Summerville Journal Scene
It will be on the front cover Friday.
As we near completion of this project, I just wanted to share a few pictures taken today. Our electrican Skip Courville of Electrical Design & Construction has been super busy installing the beautiful Whirlpool Appliances *and* the gorgeous lighting from Premier Lighting. We send our special thanks out to Skip and his crew and all of the vendors who have donated their products and labor. Wait until you see how beautiful the granite, appliances and cabinets look all together in the kitchen. The house is getting one major paint job from Lord & Evans. I think the painter has just decided to temporarily move-in. I thank Steve Wray from Lord & Evans for his continued support. The trim work was a labor of love for Bob Fleming (Classic Remodeling) and Paul Stein (Atlantic Builders, Inc of Charleston). It came out perfect! Carol is excited about her new back porch built by Rampart Construction. Everyone has been so generous to help this very deserving family. Please forgive me if i did not mention your company’s name and know that you are appreciated so very much. To see the full list of supporters, visit our sponsors page at carolshome.info. The home is expected to be given to the Armstrong family by January 1st. Very exciting! Lastly, this project would not be possible without the guidance and hard work of Jordy Tupper and Andy Barber. I can’t thank the both of them enough for all the countless hours they have put in. We could never afford to pay them what they are worth.
Kitchen with Whirlpool Appliances being installed:
We unfortunately had a theft at the house site. In the middle of the night on November 26th a vehicle pulled up and a thief took 3 wooden columns out of the garage. We are notifying the police and asking that they patrol the home over the next few weeks. We are also planning to keep it locked up like Fort Knox in the meantime. We are still on schedule to have the Armstrongs ready for move-in by New Year’s. See the coverage of the theft on TV & in the Newspaper.
ABC News 4 Live Coverage – http://www.wciv.com/news/stories/1208/574811.html P&C-http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/dec/04/grinch_cant_dampen_holiday_spirits63944/
Here is an update for the last few weeks with some photos. We would like to thank everyone that has donated supplies, labor and time to make this project become a reality. Builders Hardware of Charleston finalized the door knob, bathroom accessories and grab bar selections. The bathroom counter tops were selected from Jilco. McGee Brothers will be installing the steps on a couple of the outside doors along with applying a parge coat to the foundation. Knight’s Companies installed the septic system. Welcom Cabinets are in the process of installing the kitchen cabinets. Lord & Evans Paints has been prepping and priming the interior for painting.
The trim and baseboards in the house and the banister and handrails on the stairs were installed by Atlantic Builders and Classic Remodeling:
Melcer Tile donated the tile for the bathrooms, handicap accessible shower and the laundry room. Flooring Services, Inc. did a beautiful job on the installation of the tile:
Welcom is busy installing the beautiful kitchen cabinets this week. Here are some photos from today:
Hi! I wanted to update all of our Carol’s Home supporters on the progress of this great project. Right now, the sheetrock is being delivered compliments of Dolphin Architects and Builders and STOCK Building Supply. What an awesome donation! In the next few days, Kirk and his crew from Lowcountry Drywall will be out there hanging it. After that… it’s trim, cabinets, flooring and so much more.
Other items of importance: Jilco has ordered the bathroom cabinets, countertops and sinks. Insulation has been installed by Cohen’s Drywall. Southern Staircase has installed the stairs to the FROG. The siding products donated by James Hardie have been installed by the hard working folks at G&S and those creative ladies at Tweeked are helping the Armstrongs organize their current home to prepare for the move. Make sure you are keeping an eye on the webcam at: http://carolshome.info/?page_id=4
