Bill Harris had long imagined the day he would pass down the small white house on Peach Orchard Road, a weatherworn home that had sheltered generations of his family. He pictured it newly painted, structurally sound, a symbol of continuity for the children and grandchildren who would inherit it.
But this year, as Harris battled ALS and his wife, Aileen, confronted stage-four breast cancer, that dream began to slip away.
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The couple paid a contractor $10,000 in hopes of restoring the aging exterior. Instead, the contractor disappeared, leaving behind peeling siding, rotting wood and a sense of betrayal at a time when the Harrises could least afford it.
“I don’t think we would have survived this year,” Harris said, recalling the months of fear and frustration.
After a September report on 5 On Your Side exposed the Harrises’ experience, viewers across the region reached out not just with sympathy, but with a determination to help. Among them were three Wow1Day Painting franchise owners: Mark Armstrong, Phil Apostolico and Mike Patnesky.
“You hear so many terrible things going on in the world,” Armstrong said. “Most of them, there’s nothing you can do about it. But this was one where we could directly help.”
Within days, the painting crews arrived at the Louisburg home with ladders, brushes and thousands of dollars of donated materials. They spent weeks repairing damaged siding, replacing weathered wood, and repainting the entire exterior. The value of the work exceeded $15,000, all of which was provided for free.
“Given the circumstances the family is in, and the way they were taken advantage of,” he said, “it was a no-brainer. Why wouldn’t we help?”
The contractor who accepted the Harrises’ money but failed to complete the work claims he’s tried to reach out to the Harrises multiple times, but the Harrises deny that. The tell WRAL 5 On Your Side that they are grateful for the donated work and supplies and happy that their home will look beautiful this Christmas.