Volunteer Effort Leads to Surprise Reunion

By Mark Geary, Reporter

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By Mark Geary

Story Created: Oct 28, 2008 at 8:16 PM CST

Story Updated: Oct 29, 2008 at 12:07 AM CST

CEDAR RAPIDS -- A team of unexpected guests warmed up Scott Schmitz's heart and home just as he was preparing for a cold winter.

"It's kind of nice having some help. It's a big boost,” Schmitz said.

"Eight Days of Hope" volunteers will repair about one-hundred houses in the Cedar Rapids area this week...including Schmitz's next door neighbor, Ronnee O’Brien.

"They built these houses together and now we're fixing them up together after the flood. So, it's kind of a pretty neat deal,” he said.

O'Brien decided to rebuild for two key reasons.

"It's a great neighborhood and I have a mortgage,” she said.

The rest of the neighborhood looks much different. Many of the houses sit empty and there's really no way to know if the homeowners ever intend to return.

"It's like a ghost town down here," Schmitz said.

The two neighbors hope the group's efforts will inspire others to follow their example.

Most of the volunteers don't live in Iowa. O'Brien never expected to recognize anyone. Then, her first-grade teacher showed up. They hadn't seen each other in thirty-years.

"I called my sister and I said, 'Do you remember the stinky teacher?' She said, 'Mrs. Pugh?' I said, 'Yeah. She's volunteering at my house!' She really wasn't stinky. I swear. She wasn't,” O’Brien said.

Former teacher Nancy Pugh (pronounced “pew”) said, "We always started out the school year with...I have a funny name, but a wonderful, wonderful man came with that name.”

Mrs. Pugh had no idea she signed up to volunteer at a former student's house.

"I think she turned out to be a hard-working model citizen of Cedar Rapids,” Pugh said.

Both neighbors say the unexpected reunion and outpouring of support helped turn an unbearable situation into a celebration of new beginnings.

Next Article Steel Rising From The Ground at Cedar Rapids’ New Convention Center

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