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Extreme Home Makeover: Cal Poly Style

5/18/09

SAN MIGUEL - Cal Poly students renovated and dedicated a home to a deserving Central Coast family.

PolyHouse is an annual project by graduate students in the Industrial Engineering Department.

This year, the class spent six days over two weekends remodeled a home in San Miguel to fit the needs of a teenage girl confined to a wheelchair and her aging grandparents, who have parented more than 20 foster children.

On Sunday, the house was unveiled to the family.

Samantha, 16, was born with a heart defect. She became severely and permanently disabled after falling into a coma. Her grandparents are her primary caregivers.

The family now has a more functional home to live in thanks to Cal Poly students and volunteers from throughout the Central Coast.

They turned the small San Miguel property into a very busy work site over the past two weekends.

The home now features larger rooms, a roll-in shower for Samantha, a new heating system, and paint inside, plus a garden, basketball court, new porch and ramp outside.

The project gives engineering students hands-on experience, while improving the lives of a very deserving family.

"That's the whole cool thing," said Nicole Riegel, Industrial Engineering student. "We get to learn project management and take part in the construction and learn how to do those tasks but at the same time it's really going to change these people's lives and help them out. It's a great way to give back to the community."

PolyHouse brought family members to tears on Sunday. They said they're grateful for the generous donation.

Cal Poly students raised more than $50 thousand dollars for PolyHouse, and several companies throughout the Central Coast donated manpower and materials to help with the project.

For more information on how to get involved go to www.polyhouse.org.