Over 90 volunteers, 50 local businesses and individuals came together to help one Willow Springs family who suffered extreme loss during the last several years. On August 12, officials with Absolute Care Foundation revealed the extreme home makeover they performed on the Griffis family’s home.
Officials with the Absolute Dental Lab in North Carolina wanted to do something bigger than simply creating exceptional dental prosthetics and ceramics. So officials in the dental office formed the non-profit organization called the Absolute Care Foundation. The Foundation’s goal is to change lives of the people they help.
“We started the Absolute Care Foundation to not only change lives, but also get to get our team and our community involved,” Ginny Mueller, an executive administrator with Absolute Dental Lab, said. “We wanted to show everyone how much value there is in giving.”
The Griffis family from Willow Springs was one of the first families that the foundation reached out to help.
In 2006, Gwen Griffis lost both her husband and her mother to cancer. However, the Griffis’ family tragedy did not end there. In January 2012, Gwen Griffis also lost her 17-year-old son to cancer as well. The loss of her husband and her son have taken a major toll on Gwen Griffis and her other two children Carmen, 9, and Nicholas, 10.
“Faced with huge medical bills, many days off work, and two other children to care for, Gwen and her children Carmen, and Nicholas have been struggling,” Russ Davis, co-director of the Absolute Care Foundation, said. “That’s where we (Absolute Care) come in. We’re doing an ‘extreme home makeover’ for the Griffis family to help improve their living conditions and give them hope.”
On August 12, after long hours working on the house, Absolute Care Foundation officials were able to reveal the makeover to the Griffis family.
“Gwen, Carmen, and Nicolas were blindfolded when they came to the house, and we revealed the house to them by removing their blindfolds,” Mueller said. “They immediately gasped out loud and you could see the excitement on their faces. It was still the same house, but a different color, the siding was fixed, the yard was totally re-done.”
Mueller said the extreme makeover would not have been such a success without the help of the community.
“The community was overwhelmingly supportive. We had over 90 volunteers, supported by over 50 local businesses and individuals. There were so many people calling, e-mailing, and stopping by to see how they could help. Some people donated their time; some donated money, and some donated beds and dressers and cabinets. It was amazing to see how many people came together to help the Griffis family. Seeing the hard work that each individual did was truly touching. It is incredible how much of a difference we can make when we stand together!”
Mueller said the Griffis family was totally thrilled with their new home.
“They all laughed and cried, jumped up and down, thanked everyone. Carmen kept repeating ‘I love it, I love it!’ Nicolas said, ‘It’s perfect! I’ve never seen it so beautiful.’ And Gwen thanked the Lord and all the volunteers over and over. They kept expressing their amazement that this house was theirs.”
Although the Absolute Care Foundation just finished a project, they are looking to do another big project in the spring.
“We are taking suggestions from our board members and community members for possible projects. We just want to make the biggest difference we can,” Mueller said.




















