VOLUNTEERS
SHOW OF
SUPPORT
A variety of trades showed up. Volunteers all signed their best wishes to the Ross family.
The Treasure Coast Builders
Association pitches in to
help a Port St. Lucie family
expand their home
BY SUE-ELLEN SANDERS
PHOTOS BY SUE-ELLEN SANDERS When Dawn DeRienzo was shot and killed
last February by her husband, who then
killed himself, the tragedy left their three
children parentless and homeless. The
children’s aunt and uncle, Port St. Lucie
residents Kim and Michael Ross, took the
kids into their home immediately, and then sought to make
the household as comfortable as possible for their nieces and
nephew and give them their own private space. They hoped
to turn the garage into a two bedroom two bath suite for the
teenage nieces.
But how?
Treasure Coast Builders Association came to the rescue.
The association on July 14 held a one-day build, urging
members and affiliates to come out to help the combined
Ross-DeRienzo family.
Coordinated by
project leaders Harry
Blue, Project
Manager, Joel
Dramis, Family
Needs Manager, and
Buzz Waske, TCBA
Trades Council Chair,
over 260 tradesmen
and volunteers completed
the additional
living quarters and
raised money for the
family.
Two other bedrooms
were renovated,
a storage shed
added and new sod
laid outside, bringing
the cost for the
makeover to more
than $30,000, according
to contractor
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Window cleaners volunteered their services.
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