In 2019, newlyweds Katie and Brevin Young closed on their first home with their two children Kori and Jaylen. At that time, they had no idea which ADA modifications would need to be made for their home to stay a place of refuge and rest for their growing family.
Today they are parents to three young children – daughter, Kori (7 years old), son, Jaylen (4 years old) and baby girl, Evie (3 months old) – and the life of the Young family looks different than most. Both Kori and Jaylen have been diagnosed with Salla disease and Evie is being monitored closely. Salla disease appears in the first year of life and progresses slowly through adulthood. It’s a disease that causes progressive neurological damage, affecting the kids’ breathing, eating, moving and more. Despite having no medical history of Salla disease, Katie and Brevin say the combination of their recessive genes created “the perfect storm” for the disease to be a part of their family and future.
Because the family had developed trust with our company during their home buying process, Katie reached out to the Betenbough Homes office in Odessa to ask for assistance in modifying their bathroom shower to be ADA-accessible. They had already closed and moved into the home, but bathing the kids was becoming difficult and dangerous. She trusted that Betenbough would be able to connect her with tradesmen who would be able to complete this project, but did not expect the support that was to follow.
“They never made me feel like a burden for asking a question or asking for help,” said Katie. “We have a complicated life. Yet they’ve always made me feel like I had a village – like I have a community.”
That day Daniel Skolfield, former Odessa connections coordinator (current detail manager), returned from lunch and found a note on his desk asking him to call Katie about her bathroom shower.
Prior to returning Katie’s call, Daniel looked at communication history between the family and company and found that Betenbough Homes had partnered with Make-a-Wish in the past to build Kori an outdoor swing she could enjoy safely. And though he did not know what Katie’s request would entail, Daniel wanted to be intentional about his next steps. “I wasn’t sure how we could help, but I felt like I should invite my leaders into prayer and conversation about how we should and could engage,” said Daniel.
“Don’t write people off – ask the Lord! We can’t be the answer to every need, but we can ask the Lord what to do in the moment.”
“Seeing the Young family interact with each other and learning about what they go through every day to simply bathe their kids – we knew we wanted to help,” said Stacy Bradley, Odessa warranty manager. “Every bath time, they were making a mess, it wasn’t safe, it was hard on their backs…and it was affecting everyone – the children, parents and caregivers.”
That sentiment was unanimous – the entire Odessa region got on board. We’d be covering 100% of the shower renovation costs and the project would be managed by our in-house warranty technicians.
“This wasn’t a typical warranty request. This was a choice to serve and we got to help benefit a family in a big way,” explained Michael Garza, warranty technician and project lead. “These projects help me remember that everyone has stuff going on in the background. You never know what’s behind a call from a homeowner, or what’s going on inside the walls of a home. It reminds me to always give 100% to those I’m serving.”
Going into the project the team wanted to be considerate of the Young children needing a clean, quiet and medical-like environment. Every step from how to quietly demo existing structures and material, to thinking through how to remove debris from the air, to researching the plumbing fixtures and shower accessories that would offer the most ease, was planned with care and awareness. In a matter of a few days, the shower remodel was complete, and the Young kids had a shower and restroom that will serve their family so much better.
Katie says this remodel was beyond a need met. The ADA shower helped mitigate seizures because there is less frequent movement involved, provides a more normal, safe, and fun experience, and adds inclusiveness for the kids within the walls of their own home.
“Betenbough Homes helped us find a light in darker times. They helped give hope and normalcy in our day-to-day lives,” explained Katie. “You wouldn’t expect that from a home building company. I’m so grateful for all of the positivity and effort they’ve shared with us.”
