Sixteen-year-old Ashley Lea watched Miami Dolphins players Nate Garner and Tyrone Culver help move in her new bedroom set Thursday morning.
Garner helped build her bed, and Culver helped her choose a lamp. Lea couldn't believe what was happening.
"I was really happy because I'm a fan of the Dolphins and to know that they helped rebuild our house was really exciting," said Lea.
Just one of many surprises that came her way as part of a partnership between the Miami Dolphins and Rebuilding Together Broward County to makeover Lea's three bedroom home.
Lea shares the home with her mother, Leslye, a navy veteran, and her grandmother, Evelyn, who is battling colon cancer. For years, the family suffered through a laundry list of problems with their home, ranging to a faulty air conditioning system, to broken appliances, to a leaky roof
The leaks were so bad, Ashley's mother and grandmother shared a bedroom, the only one that was not leaking.
Dolphins' Safety Tyrone Culver told NBC Miami that seeing the damage was heartbreaking.
"It was something that, at that time, was sad to see that they were living like that," Culver said.
Fed up, the family sought ways to repair their home that wouldn't cost them to much money. Soon, they found Rebuilding Together Broward County. Then came more help from area businesses, volunteers, and the Miami Dolphins, who had been looking to give back to a family in need. A tradition Nate Garner, a lifelong volunteer, was happy to be proud of.
"It's in my heart to help people," Garner said. "That's the way I've been. I was raised that way. My parents are good people."
Work began on the home back in November, and there is still a way to go, according to Rebuilding Together. The total price tag for the renovation is expected to be near $100,000.
