May 1, 2009 - Putting aside their own economic hardships, more than 50 members of the Charleston Trident Home Builders Association (CTHBA) in Charleston, S.C., built a brand-new, wheelchair-accessible home for a local woman who had been left paralyzed after a vicious criminal attack. On Friday, May 1, PEOPLE magazine shared their story with more than 3 million readers nationwide as part of their “Heroes Among Us” series.

“Even as the recession knocks our industry down, home builders like these remain committed to their neighbors, their communities and the long tradition of service in the home building industry,” said NAHB Chairman Joe Robson, a home builder from Tulsa, Okla.

In 2002 Carol Armstrong was brutally beaten by a stranger who stole her purse and car and left her for dead. Paralyzed and blind in one eye, Carol was confined to a wheelchair and living in one room in the family’s small home.

After reading about Carol’s struggles in the local newspaper, CTHBA Executive Officer Phillip Ford recruited his membership to build the family a new, wheelchair-accessible home. Using donated labor and materials, and just $27,000 in cash raised through fundraisers, the group was able to build a 2,404 sq. foot home valued at nearly $400,000 for the Armstrong family in just nine months.

Jordy Tupper of G. Tupper III Construction, a third-generation custom builder from Summerville, S.C., volunteered as the project manager. “We started during the housing boom, and when the economy fell off a cliff, it was so inspiring to see how many people kept their promises to get this house built,” he said. 

Another member of the association, Wes Miranda of Eastcoast Flooring, donated and installed hardwood flooring throughout the home by himself working almost non-stop for two days, even though his business was suffering and he had to supplement his income by turning to landscaping, said Ford.

“It was so rewarding that when I get my company back on its feet someday, I want to hire someone to run the business so I can get out there hands-on and help people like the Armstrong family full time,” said Tupper.   

For more information about the Carol’s Home Project and the industry professionals who donated products or services, go to the CTHBA Web site at www.charlestonhomebuilders.org. To read about the community service projects of other NAHB members, go to www.nahb.org/communityservice.