TULSA -- A family in west Tulsa was gifted a new home by people who were once strangers.
Rebecca Jefferson stood by her family in January watching the house they owned get demolished.
"All the memories that we had," Jefferson said in January. "All the friends that came over and stayed and my kids being there."
Now her tone has changed.
"I want to do my happy dance," Jefferson said. "I'm so excited."
Jefferson was given a house for free with the help of many organizations.
Several years ago, Jefferson's house caught on fire, a tree fell on it and an unlicensed electrician worked on it. The series of events forced the husband wife to live in just two rooms of their home for two year using a gas generator to power it.
"It got big holes in it and rained in," Jefferson said. "It did all kinds of things. We stayed there, because we had nowhere else to go. We had no money."
They were given more than 20 fines by code enforcement.
Then, there was a turning point for the Jeffersons. They got a knock on the door from a complete stranger. Realtor Linda Fitzgerald stopped by to tell them about a program that would give them a new roof for free.
The house could not support a new roof, so Fitzgerald and members of the city got together to come up with another solution.
They found a home in another part of the city that they had moved to Jefferson's lot.
"She said, 'Oh it's free,'" Jefferson said Fitzgerald told her. "I said 'Thank you, God.' I've been praying for a real long time to have the house and they were real nice about it."
Friday, the new home pulled up and she was overcome with joy.
"There will be pictures on the wall, furniture, the house will be move in ready," Fitzgerald said.
The finishing touches still need to be done.
In the meantime, Fitzgerald challenges people in other communities to get out and help their neighbors.
"I challenge any community to do better than what we’ve done here and I would love for that," Fitzgerald said. "Put a challenge. Get out there. Go help your people. This is what it’s all about."
It could bring the overflow of excitement that Jefferson experienced Friday.
She is counting down the days until she gets the key. In the meantime, she is living with her daughter.
"Sleeping in the bed," Jefferson said she is most excited about. "Yeah sleeping in the bed. Having the quietness of no noise."
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