In a relationship between two local families, handing over some improved quality of life was a condition of receiving some new life.
Nick and Renee Kauffman, of Henley, are adopting two girls due to be born next month: Hannah May, due Oct. 12, and Jenna Grace, due two days later.
Nick and Renee have been married 20 years, have lived in Henley for seven years and have three older children: sons Brandon and Braedy, and daughter Brittney. They were expecting a fourth child in November 2015, named Josiah, but their son died in labor.
Their online profile with Both Hands reads: "His life and death have been their inspiration. It is because of him that they finally had the courage to move forward with adoption, something they had been considering for years."
The Kauffmans are adopting the girls through the Lifesong for Orphans adoption agency based in Illinois, at a cost of more than $70,000.
Renee explained a lot of the cost stems from birth mother living expenses, medical bills and attorneys' fees.
As they were going through the adoption process, Nick and Renee were told by having met certain criteria, they were eligible to do a Both Hands project to offset some of their expenses.
The Brentwood, Tennessee-based Both Hands requires adopting couples to build a team of volunteers, identify a local widow and do a service project to fix up the widow's home.
Like finding sponsors in preparation for a 5K, the volunteers search out people and groups to pay for labor and the couple's adoption - in this case, the Kauffmans and widow Judy Howard, of Jefferson City.
Howard said she was born in Littleton, Colorado, and moved to Jefferson City in 1968. She's a retired Capital Region Medical Center nurse, has been widowed for 21 years and has lived in her current home since 1990.
"It's very helpful when you can't do everything like you used to," she said of the work going on all around her in, outside and on top of her home Saturday.
About 50 volunteer men, women and children had so far done a variety of upkeep work on her property since 9 a.m., and they worked until about 5 p.m.: exterior and interior painting; cleaning up clutter; tree-trimming; weed and brush-clearing; lawn mowing; hanging drywall; and cleaning the kitchen and bathrooms - all at no cost to Howard.
The last time she had had any significant assistance in maintaining her home was in 2004.
"We feel very blessed to bless her," Renee said.
Howard has five children in the area, and one of them, daughter Penni Sneller, said they come over to mom's and help out, but she likes her independence. Even though she can't keep up with housework exactly like she used to in her husband's absence, she doesn't like to ask for help.
"I appreciate it very much," Howard said Saturday.
Nick said Republic Waste donated a dumpster for the day. Some of the clutter removed enabled volunteers to give Howard a spot on her back porch to sit and enjoy coffee, a capability she said she wanted.
Pizza Hut and Domino's also donated pizza, and Nick said Scruggs Lumber, Lowe's and Mid-City Lumber Co. donated supplies.
Brandon Kauffman said a video showing the project's work and results will be available on YouTube at youtube.com/kbmotionpictures, probably sometime later Monday; making the video was something asked of them by Both Hands.
Nick said fundraising for their adoptions would continue until it's all been finalized, probably the end of October after the girls have been born. Checks from people wishing to support them can be made to Lifesong for Orphans, P.O. Box 40, Gridley, IL, 61744 with Kauffman #6921 in the memo line. Donations are tax deductible.
While Howard hadn't really seen much of the progress on her home as of about 2:30 p.m. Saturday, she said it would be nice if her re-claimed living spaces would allow her to host family gatherings during holidays. "I think it's time they come over here," she said.
When all the work's done, she said "then all I have to do is sit back and put my feet up."
She doesn't think she's the only person out there who could benefit from a project like Both Hands' to fix her home. "We don't know them, but there's a lot out there that need to know about it," she said.