Aid expands to fill need

It started as a cancer benefit and ended with a rebuilt double-wide.

By JANET ZINK, Times Staff Writer
Published September 9, 2007

Ashley Reichert, 13, reacts to seeing her newly remodeled room for the first time in Seffner. Ashley specifically requested pink for her room.
	[Kathleen Flynn | Times]

ADVERTISEMENT [Kathleen Flynn | Times] Christy Reichert looks down on her son Jimmy, 8, while his sister Ashley, 13, (left) and Lindsey, 7, look while they see his remodeled room at their new mobile home in Seffner. Jimmy especially likes the underwater theme of his room. "I was surprised!" he said.

TAMPA - "Move that bus!"

It's a familiar refrain to fans of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, a popular ABC television show that provides families with new homes.

On Saturday, though, the crowd yelled "Move that truck," and a Rooms to Go vehicle pulled forward, revealing new digs for Seffner mom Christy Reichert and her three children.

"It's kind of like a mini Extreme Makeover," said Tampa police Maj. John Bennett, who along with other Tampa police officers, fire rescue workers and the Krewe of Agustina del Aragon provided the home for the Reicherts.

Christy Reichert wept when she saw the inside of the four-bedroom, two-bathroom, double-wide mobile home.

"I'm going to cry all day," she said. "Sweet Jesus, it's way more than we expected."

Reichert said all she really wanted was some walls repaired.

The journey to the new home started in December. That's when the Tampa police and fire departments faced off in the Badge Bowl, a flag football game played to raise money for children with cancer.

They played for Jimmy Reichert, 8, who has been battling leukemia for four years. It has been in remission for four months, Christy Reichert said.

Bennett said that when officers visited Reichert's home, they found holes in the floor, leaks in the roof and bad plumbing. They decided to go beyond the usual help with medical expenses.

The Reicherts' old mobile home was replaced with one salvaged from a mobile home park, and work began on renovations.

The Krewe of Agustina contributed 750 work hours to the rehabilitation of the trailer, which was donated by the father of a krewe member.

Krewe vice president Natalie Cacciatore said volunteer work is a requirement for membership. Since the project began in December, group members have grown close to the Reicherts.

"They found a special place in our hearts," Cacciatore said.

Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin White worked with Rooms to Go to get new furniture. Other firms, such as Famous Tate and the Carpet Store, gave services and supplies.

Police and fire rescue workers raised $23,000 for plumbing and household goods.

Jimmy's room boasts an under-the-sea theme, with blue walls, an ocean mural and fish art. Seven-year-old Lindsey's room is purple with butterfly decorations, and Ashley, 13, has a hot-pink retreat with a trundle bed for sleepovers.

Volunteers also stocked the refrigerator with hot dogs, hamburgers and apple pie for Saturday night dinner and $200 in gift certificates to a grocery store.

Christy Reichert had big plans for the rest of the day.

"We're going to jump in my bed and cuddle together and talk about it and laugh," she said. "This will change our lives."

Janet Zink can be reached at jzink@sptimes.com or 813 226-3401.

[Last modified September 8, 2007, 22:02:34]