'A project of the heart'
Home built in two weeks, without charge
Saturday, January 13, 2007
By LEIGH COLEMAN
PASCAGOULA - A partnership of Jackson County
organizations and volunteers held a dedication ceremony on Friday
to give the Johnson family the keys to their new home, which
was built in less than two weeks.
The Johnson Family Rebuild Project was an idea to help the Johnsons
and was conceived by Paige Roberts, Southeast Mississippi's
American Red Cross director, and Keith Canfield of the
Hope Has a Face Foundation.
The two leaders brought together more than 28 organizations
and six Jackson County sponsors.
"This is a project of the heart and we are so blessed to
have so many people and organizations come together to help
these people," said Roberts.
Leroy Johnson and Bronstine Miller will spend the night in their
new home this weekend. The new homeowners were the grandparents
of two boys, Phillip Burts Jr., 4, and Keshawn Burts, 3, who
lost their lives in an early morning fire Nov. 27. The Johnsons
have been without a home and living at Biloxi's Imperial Palace.
"I want people out there to know that these organizations
like the Red Cross and Hope Has a Face are
real and they are here to give and not to take," said Johnson.
The family will move into the home debt free because of the
generosity of the Johnson Family Rebuild sponsors. Both the
Imperial Palace and the Salvation Army donated $15,000 each
toward the project. The plumbing, heating, air, and labor costs
were provided by the American Red Cross, Hope Has a Face Foundation,
Presbyterian Church of Mississippi, and Wal-Mart.
"I want you to know how grateful we are and remember to
hold on to your kids and grandkids and tight as you can and
never let them go," said Johnson.
 |
Chemical treatment slows burning, adds time to escape from house
fire
Thursday, January 11, 2007
By AMBER CRAIG
PASCAGOULA -- Something as simple as a chemical
dispensed from a spray bottle can help salvage structures or
save lives in the event of a fire.
Three representatives from Fire Less Enterprises Inc. of Meridian,
visited the home of Leroy Johnson and Bronstine Miller on Tucker
Avenue to demonstrate to the Pascagoula Fire Department how
the product they sell significantly slows the spread of fire.
The pair lost their newly repaired home in November to a fire,
as well as two grandchildren in a separate apartment fire that
same month.
No-Burn is a name for at least 10 products that people can spray
or paint on their homes, furniture, drywall and almost everything
else inside the home.
Owners Johnnie LaCaze, Bob Conley and Steven Kelly were invited
to the home by the Hope Has A Face Foundation,
which is building the family a new home for free and had the
entire home treated with No-Burn.
The three men burned a pair of boards, a pair of curtains and
a pair of miniature houses filled with paper to show how fires
starting on surfaces treated with No-Burn burn slower. The untreated
board ignited into flame in seven seconds, and the treated board
took 47 seconds before the opposite side of the fire source
caught on fire. The curtains showed similar results, with one
going up in flames in less than two minutes and the other causing
nothing but a small black spot in that same time.
Johnson said he feels more secure knowing his new house and
his family are safer from dangerous fires because of No-Burn.
"With one pressure off your mind, you can rest easier,"
Johnson said.
No-Burn is guaranteed for 70 years for residential properties
and 10 years for commercial. LaCaze said the product also comes
with an anti-mold component, good for seven years.
Deputy Chief Raymond Frair said he was impressed with the product's
performance in the field tests, but he said people need to make
sure fire retardants like No-Burn are certified by a reputable
organization before using them.
"We're unbiased," Frair said. "We're trying to
validate that the product does what it is supposed to do, and
it appears that it does."
LaCaze said No-Burn, with corporate headquarters in Ohio, is
tested and certified by Underwriters Laboratories.
A 32-ounce bottle of No-Burn costs about $20, LaCaze said, and
it can cost anywhere from $1,400 to $2,500 to treat an entire
house. In addition, spots that are cleaned or washed need to
be re-treated after every cleaning.
For more information, visit the No-Burn Web site at http://www.noburn.com
or call Johnnie LaCaze at (601) 934-1111.
Reporter Amber Craig can be reached at acraig@themississippipress.com
or (228) 934-1428.
|
IP donates $15K to Johnson family
Sat, Jan. 06, 2007
By VIVIAN AUSTIN
Terrence Holland with IP Casino
Resort & Spa, the Johnson Family & Keith Canfield,
founder of Hope Has A Face |
PASCAGOULA - Officials with IP Casino Resort
and Spa presented Leroy Johnson and Bronstine Miller with a $15,000
check Friday to continue their help with the Johnson Family Rebuild
on Tucker Avenue.
Elaine Stevens, public relations manager, and Terrence Holland,
manager of the department of environmental services, said the
check is a continuation of the help the family has received
since they lost two small grandsons in a fire Nov. 27.
Brothers Phillips Burts Jr., 3, and Keyshawn Burts, 2, died
in the early morning blaze at their home in Moss Point, where
their mother, Claudia Johnson, and sister, 1-year-old Nekeria,
almost lost their lives.
Holland said the casino gave the family $5,000 immediately following
the death of the children, and is providing living space for
Leroy Johnson, Miller, and their youngest son, Leroy Jr., until
their new home has been built. Miller and Claudia Johnson are
employees at IP.
"She is one of our award-winning associates," said
Stevens of Miller.
IP is among about 25 community groups, businesses, government
agencies, and individuals including local and nationwide volunteers
who have contributed to rebuilding of the two-bedroom home that
flooded during Katrina and had its restoration destroyed by
fire Nov. 4.
Paige Roberts, director of the county American Red Cross, and
Keith Canfield, founder of Hope Has A Face,
have coordinated efforts to find volunteers and groups willing
to contribute to the project. They said no one turned them down.
Superintendent Wayne Rodolfich, school board members and city
officials from Gautier were present for the donation and tour
of a new home being built for the family. Gautier Councilman
Hurley Ray Guillotte provided jambalaya for the occasion.
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/thesunherald/16396554.htm
Family gets shopping spree for new home
House is expected to be finished today
Friday, Jan. 05, 2007
By VIVIAN AUSTIN
The Johnson Family & Demp Bell
of Wal-Mart |
PASCAGOULA - Leroy Johnson and his family
spent Thursday shopping for furniture and household items for
their new home that is expected to be completed today.
Wal-Mart Super Center and AMC Liquidators treated Johnson, his
companion, Bronstine Miller, and their youngest son, Leroy Jr.,
to a day of choices while Amish, Mennonite and Presbyterian volunteers
neared completion of the two-bedroom house on Tucker Avenue on
Thursday.
"When the house is open, it will be Christmas," said
Johnson, who has worked every day with organizers, construction
workers, technical advisers, government officials, and volunteers
from across the country to build the house.
Miller and Leroy Jr., 19, were present during the demolition Dec.
20 to make way for the new structure, sponsored by more than 25
community groups, government agencies, businesses and individuals.
Construction began Dec. 27.
"It's wonderful to know everybody is helping us out,"
said the younger Johnson. "I didn't think that anything like
this could happen for us."
Mississippi Home Again provided appliances for the 900-square-foot
home.
Paige Roberts, director of the American Red Cross of Jackson County,
and Keith Canfield, founder of Hope Has A Face
in Biloxi, have been coordinating the effort to build a new home
to help the family recover after 16 months of continued disasters.
Hurricane Katrina damaged the old home, leaving them living in
a FEMA travel trailer in their yard. After Johnson put in more
than a year of work on the house, a Nov. 4 fire destroyed the
restoration that he had intended to complete by Christmas.
On Nov. 27, days after Thanksgiving, the couple lost grandsons
Phillip Burts Jr., 3, and Keyshawn Burts, 2, during a home fire.
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/thesunherald/16387945.htm
|
Volunteers give family new home, hope after fire tragedies
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
By AMBER CRAIG
PASCAGOULA -- Groups of outisde
volunteers and more than a dozen Jackson County organizations
are pooling their resources to build a home for a couple who
lost family members and their new home in two separate fires
in one month.
Leroy Johnson, who has also been helping to build his new home,
is thankful for the people who have come together to help his
family. "It's a fantastic feeling, but it's even better
to get in there to help," Johnson said Tuesday afternoon.
Johnson and Bronstine Miller lost the home they were rebuilding
on Tucker Avenue to a fire in early November, and then later
that month, a fire in a Moss Point apartment complex killed
two of their grandchildren, Keyshawn, 2, and Phillip Burts Jr.,
3.
About 30 volunteers from several different states and affiliations
are helping Keith Canfield, director of the nonprofit
Hope Has A Face foundation, to see his goal of quickly
giving this family a new home. The team is behind schedule by
about four days because of some unforseen complications with
the quality of the foundation and the recent rainy weather,
but Canfield said he hopes the house can be complete by Saturday
at the latest. Originally, Canfield was working toward a New
Year's Day deadline.
Volunteers poured the concrete Dec. 23, and they started building
after Christmas Day.
The 900-square-foot, two-bedroom, one-bathroom house will be
25 percent larger than the original house. Even the animal members
of the family have not been neglected, and the Johnson family's
four dogs will each receive a dog house for the backyard.
Perhaps even more importantly, the house will be sprayed down
with No-Burn, a fire retardant that is designed to slow the
burning process and reduce toxic flames if a fire breaks out.
Canfield said the scope of
the project would not be possible without the local companies
and organizations who have given their services for free or
for a drastically reduced price. "It's local folks,"
Canfield said. "That's the real story here."
Paige Roberts with The Red
Cross agreed, adding that none of the organizations she and
Canfield approached has refused to help. "I think people
just put things into perspective when something like this happens,"
Roberts said.
Businessman and construction supervisor Ed Rutherford said he
was glad he could put his talents to help others this holiday.
Rutherford, along with his wife, Tracey, moved to Pascagoula
from Atlanta about six months ago to help with the rebuilding
effort. "This is just a project that came along that was
a good fit for us," said Rutherford, the owner of a design
and construction company in Atlanta.
Nineteen members of the construction crew are North Carolina
students from Catawea College and First Presbyterian Church
of Salisbury, N.C. They flew in Dec. 28 and leave for home today.
Katie Hill, 19, a freshman,
said she does not mind the long work day and getting up early.
On New Year's Day, the crew worked until after dark with the
aid of a lightstand. Johnson said that spending time with the
volunteers keeps him smiling, despite the dark memories of last
year.
"There's so much positive energy," Johnson said. "It
keeps me lifted up."
http://www.gulflive.com/news/mississippipress/index.ssf?/base/news/1167822977239030.xml
Lighting up Long Beach -- Germantown
helps out victim of Katrina
Friday, December 30, 2006
By Angela Buckley
(l to r) Debbie Dismukes of Hope
Has a Face Foundation, Parks Superintendent Robert Childs,
and Germantown Parks and Recreation Director Pam Beasley
load holiday decorations at Germantown Public Services
complex. |
A truck full of decorations |
GERMANTOWN -- Germantown's holiday spirit moved
beyond its borders this month to brighten the Mississippi Gulf
Coast. The city donated 70 retired holiday decorations to a
town damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
"For many communities hit hard by Katrina, decorations
weren't an option last year. When we heard the hurricane destroyed
their decorations, we decided to help," said Germantown
Parks and Recreation director Pam Beasley. "We received
a letter from the mayor's office in Long Beach, asking if we
could help. It was a request we could meet."
Long Beach, Miss., mayoral assistant Charlene Stogner penned
the request. Her letter outlined the need: "The decorations
for the city were stored in one of the municipal buildings that
flooded last year we had no decorations. There isn't much city
left, but it (decorations) would lift the spirits of citizens
that live here, whether they live in a house or a FEMA trailer."
Germantown donated 45 wreaths and 25 framed silhouettes - featuring
bells and candles - to the effort.
"These are pieces retired from our use, but with a little
repair and relighting, these decorations will look good as new,"
Beasley said.
The group Hope Has A Face spearheaded the effort.
Project Manager Debbie Dismukes looked over
the stored decorations at Germantown's public services complex
Saturday and brought a rental truck to pick up the goodies.
"These will look great and really brighten
up the coast," Dismukes said. "This has been a fruitful
project and we are pleasantly surprised by people across the
country who wanted to be a part of it."
Nashville and Toronto are among cities donating decorations.
Dismukes delivered the decorations to Long Beach, where volunteers
hung the decorations after repairs are completed. Dismukes said
some of the decorations may be shared with Bay St. Louis and
Pascagoula.
Family struck twice by fire receives new home for 2007
Friday, December 22, 2006
By AMBER CRAIG
PASCAGOULA -- It took less than 15 minutes to turn Leroy Johnson's
childhood home into a pile of wood and debris Thursday afternoon.
A family struck by two fire-related tragedies this holiday season
is receiving hope for a new year in the form of a new place
to live from the Hope Has A Face foundation,
a hurricane recovery organization.
Johnson and Bronstine Miller, who lived in a travel trailer
on Tucker Street until Wednesday, lost the home they were repairing
on the street to a Nov. 4 fire caused by a faulty wire. Hurricane
Katrina flooded the original house with four feet of water,
and Johnson had been working on renovating it. They had planned
to move in by Christmas. Then, on Nov. 27, they lost two of
their grandchildren, Keyshawn, 2, and Phillip Burts Jr., 3,
in a Moss Point apartment fire. Their daughter, Claudia Johnson,
and their granddaughter, Nykeria, 1, escaped the fire.
Miller said she's sad that she will not have Keyshawn and Phillip
with her when she moves into her new home. She said she remembers
how much they enjoyed playing with their toys in her backyard
and running through her house when they visited. "They
won't be here to enjoy any of it," Miller said. The two
are staying in Imperial Palace, where Miller works, until construction
on the home is complete.
Keith Canfield, president of the foundation,
said he heard about the family from Paige Roberts of The Red
Cross and thought the family deserved a helping hand. "This
family has just gone through so much this year," Canfield
said.
Weather permitting and with enough volunteers, the house should
be ready by New Year's Day, Canfield said. Canfield soon will
be needing volunteers experienced in framing and installing
drywall to help the foundation meet its goal. Those interested
in volunteering should call the toll-free number at 1-(877)-551-HOPE
and listen for a recording asking for volunteer contact information.
http://www.gulflive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news/1166786174315490.xml?mississippi?pnews&coll=5
|
Family gets pleasant surprise
FEMA, others to help rebuild home
Thursday, December 21, 2006
By VIVIAN AUSTIN
PASCAGOULA - Leroy Johnson and Bronstine Miller were in a hurry
Wednesday to get their family's belongings packed up and out
of the travel trailer sitting in front of their burned out home
on Tucker Street.
FEMA representatives arrived three days earlier than expected
and surprised them and community workers helping the family
relocate so the two-bedroom house can be demolished and replaced
with a new structure. Johnson and Miller said it is a miracle.
"This is fantastic," he said. "This is like a
dream come true."
Imperial Palace, where Bronstine Johnson and her sister-in-law,
Daphne Dean, both work, will provide living space until the
home is rebuilt within seven days, said Red Cross Director Paige
Roberts and Keith Canfield with Hope Has A Face.
"It's gonna be a good thing helping these folks out,"
said Canfield.
More than 12 agencies, businesses, churches, and community groups
are providing expertise and materials to get the family back
into their home. They come from South Mississippi and the nation,
including Jackson County Community Coalition and home designer
Tracey Weatherford of Atlanta, who attended a planning meeting
at the home.
Demolition should begin today or Friday; completion is expected
around New Year's. The home where Leroy Johnson was reared had
4 feet of storm surge from Hurricane Katrina. Working alone,
he'd planned to renovate by Christmas, but a fire burned the
house Nov. 4.
A nephew living in Forest died, but before they could attend
the funeral, they learned two grandsons - Keyshawn, 2, and Phillip
Burts Jr., 3 - had burned to death in their Moss Point home.
The Nov. 27 fire almost killed the couple's daughter, Claudia
Johnson, and her youngest child, daughter Nykeria, 1.
"The first three years of their life they were right here
with me," said the grandfather.
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/local/16287368.htm
|
Bikes or Bust Drive yields hundreds of bikes for needy
Coast children
Saturday, December 09, 2006
By BRAD CROCKER
PASCAGOULA -- Shiny new bikes for needy children lined the entrance
to the Pascagoula Wal-Mart Friday as local public safety personnel,
businesses and citizens donated to the annual Salvation Army's
Bikes or Bust Drive.
The Pascagoula Fire Department began the day by providing $1,000
to purchase bikes and it ended with the Jackson County Sheriff's
Mounted Patrol bringing by carriage 30 more bikes. There were
also 110 bikes collected Thursday in George County.
After hearing about the event a few weeks ago, the nonprofit
Biloxi-based Hope Has A Face Foundation is
matching donations by giving a tricycle for every bike collected.
When all the bikes are accounted for, Salvation Army Capt. Andy
Collette said that a bike should be available for a large percentage
of the 750 families the Salvation Army is helping in Jackson
and George counties this Christmas.
Pascagoula firefighter Phillip Berryhill, who was assisted by
Ben Burgin and Chris McCormick, said the fire department has
participated in the event since its inception 10 years ago.
"We wanted to give back to the community," Berryhill
said. "We run across needy families all the time ... and
Christmas is the time to give back to others."
Joe Haydock with the sheriff's mounted patrol agreed, adding,
"You've got to give back. If you're not, you're not doing
the right thing."
Keith Canfield, president of the Hope Has A Face Foundation,
said the Bikes or Bust Drive is a good way to bring joy to a
child's Christmas. "I can't think of a better way to help
Santa than with a bike or trike they can use all year long,
and we think Wal-Mart and Salvation Army have a great program
going to get them to those who need them most," said Canfield.
Firefighters raised their money among themselves and the mounted
patrol used funds from the sheriff's department's annual rodeo
to help purchase the bikes.
The event began with K99 FM and ClearChannel when, up until
last year, radio personalities would remain hoisted in a crane
and remain there until enough bikes were collected. On-air personality
Bob Dever said no cranes were available this year, but the best
change was holding the drive in Jackson and George counties
for the first time, instead of the Mississippi Coast Coliseum,
because the visibility and accessibility allowed Jackson and
George county residents more convenience to participate.
Collette said residents help provide even more bikes once they
see what the program is doing. "This has been really awesome,"
Collette said. "I can't say enough about the generosity
of the people here. And with the firefighters and sheriff's
patrols, they're generous people to start with, and to give
bikes at Christmas, that's super."
Other sponsors included Papa John's Pizza, WXXV Fox 25, U.S.
Sen. Trent Lott and Pascagoula Councilman Mike Mangum. The program
continues today at Wal-Marts in Gulfport and D'Iberville.
http://www.gulflive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news/1165663211246250.xml?mis
