Home Makeover 2025

Restoring Dignity Home Makeover #44

Saturday, November 15th, 2025

Purchase items via the family’s Amazon list here (ALL items purchased! – updated 11/13/25)

**IMPORTANT: You may have to type the address into the shipping section when you buy items. Relevant Community Church is graciously accepting all packages for this family, due to space limitations at the Restoring Dignity office. Please type: Relevant Community Church, ATTN CORY NELSON 21220 ELKHORN DR, ELKHORN, NE 68022-3544**

Sign up to volunteer on the day of the home makeover here (22 volunteers needed – updated 11/13/25)

Sign up to volunteer before the home-makeover (to get everything ready) (3 volunteers needed – updated 11/13/25)

Donate financially at the bottom of this page

We are looking for a professional photographer who can donate their time to come and take family pictures that can be printed and framed in the family’s home. If this is you, please email us at: info@rdomaha.org

The Family’s Story

Mom

The mother of the family was born on the side of a mountain in the beautiful jungles of Burma. Her family was Karenni, an ethnic group of people living in Karenni (Kayah) State in Burma. Her earliest memories are of her parents planting corn, rice, peanuts, pumpkins, cucumbers and long beans — farming was both her family’s way of living and how sustenance was provided. It was a gentle, simple life and she experienced this until the age of seven, when her family was forced to leave their mountain home due to the civil war in Burma that spread into their village.

The beautiful backdrop of the mother’s life prior to her family being forced to flee to a refugee camp. Kayah (Karenni State), Burma. Source.

Map of Burma: The Karenni people are from the Kayah State, which can be seen in green. Source.

Fleeing on foot and avoiding Burmese military and landmines, her family reached the only safety they would know for the next seven years: a refugee camp on the Thai-Burma border. There, they lived in a make-shift house, reliant on international aid groups like USAID to provide food, lest they face starvation. She was able to attend school in the camp until 6th grade.

A hand-made home in a Karenni refugee camp in Thailand. Source.

In 2009, she, her mother, stepfather and stepsister won the proverbial lottery: they were chosen to come the United States through the United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). Only 1% of refugees are resettled worldwide each year, so to be chosen is a huge deal. They went through an extensive vetting process (including having to go through intense security screenings through the FBI, CIA and a variety of other agencies). Finally, they were approved and found themselves on a plane to Colorado, where they lived for 11 years, before moving to Omaha.

Dad

The father of the family was born in Kayah (Karenni State) like his wife. His parents were farmers as well and grew rice and vegetables. When he was 3 years old, he lost the only stability he knew, when his mom, dad and six siblings had to leave their home in the middle of the night and flee through a dangerous war zone to a refugee camp in Thailand. The war in Burma had reached his village, and no one was safe anymore. The only life he remembers is in the camp. It was there that his family lived for 16 years. He entered the camp as a toddler and left as an adult. In 2009, his family was also chosen to come to the United States.

Red triangles mark refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border. Source. To learn more about the “lost future of Karenni refugees”, please read this article.

Together

The mother and father of the family met in 2011 in Colorado, after their parents suggested that they get married. His father saw the woman he knew was right for his son. He approached her parents, and everyone agreed that this would be a good match. They both trusted their families and believed that they had their best interest at heart. They got married later that same year. In 2012, their first daughter was born. Two years later, their son came into the world. And in 2021 and 2023, they had two more little boys, shortly after moving to Omaha.

Everything was falling into place. In 2021 they bought their first house! What a long way they had come: from fleeing in darkness through landmine filled jungles, to being trapped behind barbed wire in a refugee camp, to now owning their own home in a country where bombs weren’t being dropped and landmines weren’t buried. The father still worked very hard and it was difficult to make ends meet, but how much sweeter life had become. During this time, his wife stayed home with their two babies and helped get the other two children to and from school and to doctor appointments.

The oldest daughter, holding her newborn brother

The family at a Karenni festival in Omaha.

“Nothing Would Come Out”

Right after their newest baby was born, the father started coughing. At first they thought it might be Covid related. But the more he coughed, the more they noticed that nothing would come out of his lungs. After one of his coughing fits, he couldn’t breathe. They rushed him to the hospital and the MRI showed water and blood clots in his lungs. He had to go into surgery to get the blood clots removed, and it was after surgery that they discovered the unimaginable: the young father, only in his 30s, had lung cancer.

At the hospital after the diagnosis

Their world stopped spinning. He began immediate chemo and radiation treatments that left him weak and barely able to walk. He couldn’t work his meat cutting job anymore, as it was too labor intensive, so his wife went to work full-time. She began cutting meat at a packing plant. However, the shifts were too inflexible, and the children were missing important things like doctor appointments. She found work at a delivery company, which was more flexible, and has been working there ever since.

At his most recent doctor visit, the father received news that he never expected: the cancer spread to his brain. The scans showed that the cancer treatments were getting rid of the spots, but then they would pop up in another area. A medical game of whack-a-mole ensued. He is now going to the hospital regularly for his treatments, and may need brain surgery soon to remove the cancer.

The father holds his youngest son on the family’s living floor. They are hoping to receive a couch during the home makeover.

Sadly, this family do not have a lot of relatives in Omaha who can support them. The father has no family in Omaha, and the mother only has her mother and stepfather, but both are working in meat packing, trying to survive as well. They help as they can, but it is not enough for what the family needs.

As a result of this curveball that life has thrown them, the housework isn’t getting done. The father feels weak when he takes his daily medicine and has a hard time walking. The mother is exhausted from carrying the entire load on her shoulders. They are missing critical pieces of furniture in their home. And the family is trying to stay afloat as best they can; trying to provide a stable base for their four children.

Restoring Dignity’s Karenni family educator, Jaceta, told us about this family’s situation, and suggested that they would be a good candidate for our next home makeover. Jaceta was teaching the family Home Owners Maintenance Education classes recently, and listened as the mother talked about what they were going through. She had compassion for her and made the referral.

We met with the family recently and explained the home makeover process, and the family gladly accepted! This has become the shining beacon of hope in their lives right now, and they are beyond excited for all of our incredible volunteers to show up and help transform their home into an oasis of comfort, hope and peace, as they navigate a situation that no one should have to go through. Every item on their Amazon list has been approved and picked-out by the family. The children had a lot of fun picking out items that were meaningful to them.

Join us, as we aim to bring hope and household items to this incredible family!

The Solution

We are taking action on Saturday, November 15th, 2025, to provide this family with a complete home makeover! There are four children in the family: one daughter (13 years old) and three sons (ages 11, 4 and 2).

Supplies Needed

All items needed are on the family’s Amazon list. The family picked out furniture, bedding, household items, pictures, and toys that they are hoping to receive!

Note: if you order items on Amazon, forward us your order email so we can send you a BIG ‘thank you’ and a tax receipt: info@rdomaha.org

If you have questions about this project, please email: info@rdomaha.org or call/text: 402-370-9777.

Volunteers Needed

Sign up to volunteer here for the day of the home makeover!

186 volunteers are needed to make this home makeover happen!

The following volunteer shifts are needed:

Day of the Home Makeover – Saturday, November 15th, 2025:

- 8am-10am UNLOADING and MOVING FURNITURE:This shift is for people who can help unload the moving truck at the family’s home and help set-up. After set-up, volunteers will help move furniture out of the family’s home. Volunteers need to be able to lift boxes and furniture. 15 volunteers needed
- 9am-11am CLEANING: During this shift, volunteers with help clean and organize at the family’s home. 26 volunteers needed
- 10am-12pm CLEANING: During this shift, volunteers with help clean and organize at the family’s home. 25 volunteers needed
- 10am-12pm BUILDING: This shift is for people who can build and assemble furniture. Ages 16 and up, please. 15 volunteers needed
- 10am-12pm CLOTHES SORTERS: During this shift, volunteers will sort, fold and hang all of the clothing in the family’s home 3 volunteers needed
- 10am-12pm YARD WORK: This shift is for someone who can help clean up the family’s front and backyard. Please bring necessary yard equipment (rakes, edgers, trimmers, etc) 6 volunteers needed
- 10am-12pm HANDY PEOPLE: This shift is for people who can help do general handy tasks like installing blinds and hanging pictures. Feel free to bring your own tools or we will have some available! 2 handy persons needed
- 11am-1pm CLEANING AND ORGANIZING: During this shift, volunteers with help finish cleaning and will begin organizing at the family’s home. 20 volunteers needed
- 12pm-2pm CLEANING AND ORGANIZING: During this shift, volunteers with help finish cleaning and will begin organizing at the family’s home. 23 volunteers needed
- 12pm-2pm BUILDING: This shift is for people who can build and assemble furniture. Ages 16 and up, please. 10 volunteers needed
- 12pm-2pm CLOTHES SORTERS: During this shift, volunteers will sort, fold and hang all of the clothing in the family’s home 3 volunteers needed
- 12pm-2pm HANDY PEOPLE: This shift is for people who can help do general handy tasks like installing blinds and hanging pictures. Feel free to bring your own tools or we will have some available! 2 handy people needed
- 1pm-3pm ORGANIZING and DECORATING: During this shift, volunteers with help finish organizing and will begin decorating at the family’s home. 11 volunteers needed
- 2pm-4pm CLEANING and ORGANIZING: During this shift, volunteers with help finish organizing and will begin decorating at the family’s home.The family has picked out decorations, and you will help put it all together to make their space look beautiful! Please indicate if you are an experienced interior decorator. 16 volunteers needed
- 2pm-4pm HANDY PEOPLE: This shift is for people who can help do general handy tasks like installing blinds and hanging pictures. Feel free to bring your own tools or we will have some available! 2 handy people needed
- 2pm-4pm RECYCLING: This shift is for someone who can bring their pick-up truck, load cardboard boxes to be recycled and transport them to a recycling center. 2 volunteers needed
- 4pm-5pm UNLOADING: This shift is for people who can help unload the truck at Yates and move items into Restoring Dignity’s storage area. Participants need to be able to lift boxes and furniture. 5 volunteers needed

AGE LIMIT: Restoring Dignity home makeovers have historically been family-friendly volunteer opportunities. For this home makeover, children ages 10 and older can volunteer IF (1) they are with a parent/guardian and supervised the entire time AND (2) they want to be there and volunteer (all shifts are fast-paced and volunteers must work diligently). Please indicate the child’s age on the sign-up form. Please note that children under the age of 10 will not be allowed to volunteer due to safety concerns. High school students do not need parental supervision.

How to Get Involved:

Donate items:

We could not do these projects without our donors! They are the heart of these projects! All of the items the family has requested can be found on their Amazon wishlist. Items will be mailed to Relevant Community Church, who is accepting packages on Restoring Dignity’s behalf due to space constraints at Yates, and we will then deliver them to the family the day of the home makeover.

Donate financially at the bottom of this page. If items for the family go unpurchased on their Amazon list, we will use these funds to purchase items. Any remaining funds will be gifted to the family towards rent and car repairs.

Volunteer:

Sign up to volunteer here

Spread the word:

Tell your friends and family about this project! Share this story on your Facebook page, or email it to people you know. The more people that know about these projects, the more we receive donations and volunteer sign-ups!

Pictures from the November 2023 RD 42nd Home Makeover:

Follow us on Facebook: Restoring Dignity has a Facebook Page that is regularly updated. Please follow our page for the latest updates: Restoring Dignity Omaha Facebook Page.

Contact us:

info@rdomaha.org

402-370-9777