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Aug 27, 2007 8:41 am US/Central
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Community Gives Deserving Family A Home Makeover
by Terri Gruca
Tonka Bay, Minn. (WCCO) ―
About six months ago, a group of families in Tonka Bay, Minn. set out to repay a family for all that they've contributed to children in their community. With the help of donations from local businesses and everyday people, they managed to do the unthinkable.
They rebuilt their home, but the most amazing part of this story is why they did it.
If a parent's love could be measured by the hearts they've touched, Steve and Jan Sharp could easily fill five baseball teams.
"We're just people, doing what we think we're being led to do and that's all it's ever been. Apparently some people think that's special," said Steve Sharp.
The Sharps raised three of their own children, served as foster parents for 38 kids and then adopted two other boys.
"We've had children for 18 to 20 years," said Jan Sharp.
They've done it all in a 1920s rambler. They invested in their children, not in remodeling their home.
"I thought, 'How could I give them an extreme home makeover without, you know, offending them?'" said Teri Bennett.
Bennett gathered a group of families in Tonka Bay and went to work. This was no small feat. The house was initially built around a big tree, which had to be removed.
The garage was so unstable that the entire structure needed to be torn down then rebuilt. It was a massive undertaking that at times made even the organizers wonder if it could be accomplished.
Each time they hit a roadblock someone else would volunteer.
Bennett said, "I think it's one of the most touching projects I've ever been involved with because everything is donated time, labor, materials, everything."
Perhaps because everyone knew there was much more than a structure at stake.
"Their house was falling down, they would have had to move," said Bennett.
Moving was not an option for one very special reason: Baby D.
"We brought her home from the hospital when she was 4 days old," recalled Steve Sharp.
Most of the Sharps' foster babies would stay a few weeks and then move onto adoptive families, but not Baby D.
"Instead of 6 weeks or 2 months, or something like that, this turned out to be 6 months and 8 months and it's different now all of a sudden," said Steve Sharp.
The Sharps decided to adopt her which was a process they never imagined would turn into a lengthy court battle.
"We were growing like a family grows and we never wanted it to end," said Jan Sharp.
At the time, agencies didn't think a black baby should have white parents. After three long years, the judge ruled against the Sharps.
Three-year-old Baby D was given to her maternal grandmother and the Sharps were told they could never see her again.
"It was a tough day," said Steve Sharp.
A lot can change in 15 years but the bond between parent and child never fades. Baby D is the reason the Sharps vowed never to leave Tonka Bay.
"Everyday, not a day goes by that she's not on our mind," said Steve Sharp. "I am sure that she knows how to get a hold of us if we are there. If she wants to find us, she'll be able to do it."
On Sunday dozens of families gathered on the front lawn of their Tonka Bay home. Excited to see all that had been accomplished with six months of work and countless hours of volunteers. It's the first time the Sharps got the chance to see their completed new home at their same old address. The timing couldn't be more perfect.
"This is so unbelievable that people of this community would get together and do something like this," said Steve Sharp. "It's so humbling."
This transformation comes at about the time Baby D celebrates her 18th birthday. Now if she ever decides to search for them they'll be right where she would expect: home.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)