Rib Hillis, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition: The Ruiz Family
This week we're in El Paso Texas to help out the Ruiz family Maria, Jesus, Elizabeth, and Jesus (Junior). Twelve years ago, Maria and her family stopped construction on their home and turned their efforts toward assembling a small army to feed poor families in El Paso, TX and across the border in Juarez, Mexico. Everyday, Maria and her husband Jesus bring food, clothing, and supplies to thousands completely free of charge. Maria and Jesus both work multiple jobs to support their family and the foundation. Maria was even recently recognized as one of the "Top 10 CNN Heroes of 2008" for her selfless work.
In 1996, when Maria began her charitable foundation, construction on the Ruiz home was just over halfway finished. Today, the home stands just as it did twelve years ago, unfinished. In addition to the visible plywood floors and uncompleted dry wall, the structure of the home is tilting inwards. Visible stress fractures can be seen in the walls, ceilings and all four corners of the home. The home appears to be caving in on itself. This week the incredible community of El Paso, and the design team are here to give to a family who has given all to others.
This week I'm working on Junior's room. Junior is such an exceptional young man. I mean he's twelve years old, and you'd think a twelve-year-old kid might be interested in the latest video game, all these thing, but no, this young man he's committed to helping other people, he's sacrificed so much. Well this week I'm gonna make sure that he gets taken care of. He has some really cool interests, he loves beatboxin,' and he loves graffiti art, so I'm gonna combine those things and give him a room, well, basically a room where he can pursue his passions and be a kid and enjoy it because he acts like such an adult so much of the time.
When I talked to Junior and I saw his room, I saw his house, I saw the bathroom, and it didn't have a sink in it. I saw things that were totally unfinished, and in my eyes it was, like, 'wow,' this must be rough to live in here, and yet, you know, when I asked him he said, 'No, I'm lucky." I'm lucky to have this because, you know, so many other people have even less. It just blew me away, it blew me away at this young man's humility and his selflessness, you know. Not just, you know, the mother and father are heroes, but, but Junior and his sister are, are heroes as well.
Every week it's incredible how much help we get, here in El Paso the community has come out in force to help us build a home for the Ruiz family, especially Randy, our incredible builder from Desert View Homes. Randy told me last night how amazing this week was and that people came out and just gave of themselves, the selflessness, the sense of community, and he expressed to me how much he hopes that this carries. Just because the cameras are gone and we're gone, that element still remains, it's an amazing thing that happens during the week we build a home for a family and it should carry on, all those elements are always there, Ty and the rest of us might be gone, but, the people who built this house and the community that came together is still there in El Paso.
