LAHAINA (HawaiiNewsNow) - The Los Angeles Rams touched down on Maui on Monday for their minicamp.
On Tuesday, about two dozen rookies traveled to Lahaina to help rebuild a home for a fire survivor.
“It’s really cool to be able to have the opportunity to come and impact somebody’s life like this by helping build a house,” said tight end Terrance Ferguson. “God’s put us in a position to be able to do this. So, we’re super blessed to do it.”
Twenty-three players suited up and got ready to work on Komo Mai Street Tuesday afternoon along with Habitat for Humanity Maui volunteers.
“First and foremost, I wanted people to know that I care, and my deepest condolence for everything that was lost,” said linebacker Christopher “Pooh” Paul Jr. “And also, I want you all to know I’m gonna put a show on for y’all this year. I’m gonna do my best and I need to learn one of those dances so I can do it when I get a sack.”
Homeowner Ivory Gilmore says they are relieved their home is finally being rebuilt.
“As a whole we’re doing OK. There’s still a lot of progress that needs to be made. There’s still a lot of changes that need to be made. But we’re trying to move forward and that’s all you can do after something like this,” she said.
The head of Habitat for Humanity Los Angeles organized the rebuild effort and said she hopes the two cities can lean on and learn from each other as they rebuild from fires that devastated both communities.
“We were actually working on building this event before the wildfires hit in Los Angeles,” said Erin Rank, Habitat for Humanity Los Angeles President, CEO. “And there were so many parallels between what happened in Los Angeles, the high winds, people not getting enough notice, a lot of people who didn’t have the ability to rebuild their homes or didn’t have insurance. And so, we’re about 18 months behind Lahaina in our wildfire events, and so we’re going to learn a lot.”
Rank says they are learning what is working, what is not, and how the community has come together and are taking those lessons back home.
Habitat for Humanity Maui dedicated 10 homes to homeowners in the area in 2019.
Jamie Kuia, Family Services Director, said nine homeowners are returning home.
“I’m just happy that we’re getting it from the ground up again, and it’s much sooner than what we expected. So, they’re excited and we’re excited and we want to get them in their homes as soon as possible,” Kuia said.
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