The Unbelievable Project and an Unscripted Video Interview with Megan Criniere
by Ryan Corrigan
Megan has been absolutely stunned by the ongoing efforts by the community to do an extreme home makeover for her. Their home has always needed a lot of work, and Charlie always dreamed about making their home a great place to raise their growing family, but they never had the funds to make it a reality. But now his dreams are coming true.
At the bottom of this post, we have provided Megan's first unscripted video interview about this project. Also, down below, we have also created a video summary showing all the work that has already been done. Currently, over 20 companies are now involved and have either donated materials or pledged/completed work on the home. All that has been done so far has been totally free for Megan, including materials. Praise the LORD!
Many people have asked how we got 20 companies involved in this. All we can say is that the LORD did it! That is such a cool story! Justin Jeffries a friend who was a friend of Charles Criniere, wanted to help the family out somehow after Charlie passed away. At first he wanted to mow their lawn but after talking to Megan's neighbor across the street Justin realized that beyond raising monthly income, the biggest need to stabilize the family was to get their house renovated. As Justin began to inspect the home, he realized it was a massive project - way bigger than just a few guys with tools could do. So Justin started asking around the church community, dreaming there would be some kind of big connection. Justin was able to mobilize quite a few contractors, but there were still some huge projects like windows, siding, and concrete work that we were struggling with. We prayed a ton, and one day Justin called me super excited! He told me that he had found a guy who was deeply connected and knew"everyone!"
A contractor (who wants to remain anonymous) jumped in when he heard the Criniere family story. He never met Charlie but immediately began calling and visiting other companies in the area. Because this individual is deeply loved and loyal in the KC construction industry, everyone seemed to say yes when he asked! He pulled in so many different companies it was astounding! This one individual has done so much for this project it literally wouldn't have been possible without him.
Justin Jeffries has also worked tirelessly organizing, scheduling, recruiting, etc. His leadership in the project has been such a beautiful offering to the LORD. It is hard to adequately describe how amazing this whole situation really has been. There has been so much behind-the-scenes work by so many people that it seems impossible to document fully. One thing is certain, this is far beyond anything anyone has ever seen or heard except for on the show Extreme Home Makeover. However, this project is being done by local companies, not some big rich cable TV channel. These people are very talented at what they do and are very humble and don't care about getting any recognition or any money, but we wanted to honor them anyway. Most of them have thanked Megan for allowing them to be involved! One company even gave Megan an extra $500 donation and that was after doing about $25k of work for free This feels different than any other charity work I've ever seen. I believe the only real explanation is that the LORD is moving so strongly on people's hearts that when they hear about it, they are compelled to get involved. Seems very clear to me that Charlie's prayers are still being answered. All-in-all we estimate that well over $120,000 of work has already been done.
Here is an updated list of everything that has been done.
A brand-new roof was installed (https://www.nationsroofingandsolar.com/)
Her old driveway and two back patios, and two retaining walls were removed (https://www.trubluellc.com/)
Old shake shingle siding was torn off by people from Grace Point Church (https://gpchurch.us/)
A massive dumpster for demolition was donated (https://www.kcdumpster.com/),
Garage doors were removed, and the exterior wall was finished with windows (to finish the garage into a living space) (https://www.bizapedia.com/mo/owb-carpentry-llc.html)
Twenty-six windows and two sliding glass doors were donated and delivered within one week (normal lead time was 6-8 weeks) (https://www.coronetwindow.com)
Windows and new sliding glass doors were installed (https://www.bizapedia.com/mo/owb-carpentry-llc.html)
A lot of electrical work was done to add floodlights around the house (https://purelightelectric.com/), (https://www.buildzoom.com/contractor/gj-electric-inc)
A Ring doorbell system was donated and installed
A porta-potty was donated for the construction workers
Brand-new vinyl siding was installed (https://maverickexteriorskc.com/)
Backyard lower patio with pave stones and a band new retaining wall was installed (https://hopkinshardscapes.com/), (https://www.keystonehardscapes.com/)
A massive amount of overgrown shrubs and an old fence were torn out of the backyard. (https://www.trubluellc.com/)
The front yard was graded and prepared for a new circle driveway (https://www.trubluellc.com/), (https://trifecta-contracting.com/)
A massive concrete circle driveway was installed (https://trifecta-contracting.com/),(https://quicksilverrmx.com),
A mini-split HVAC system was donated for the garage conversion into a living space. (https://www.lennox.com/,)
A brand new furnace and AC unit for the home were donated and delivered. (https://tmi-stl.com/)
All the materials to remodel all four of her bathrooms have been ordered, and the bathroom remodels are scheduled for early January. (https://www.thinkbordner.com) (https://www.realtor.com/realestateagents/56d6cb14f384a201005fd07c)
There was a sewer line repair (and a scheduled replacement) (https://allens-electric-hvac.business.site/)
A company donated a really high-quality concrete sealant for the new driveway (https://specchem.com/specshield-wb)
Also, Lowes and Home Depot are looking at a comprehensive list of items, and it looks like they might be providing a ton of materials for the interior renovation (or at least a good discount).
Beyond this list, there have been permits pulled and paid for and hours and hours of planning and coordination.
In the midst of all of this, Megan's sewer line backed up, a plumber inspected the line and said that the whole line needed to be replaced, which can cost up to $25k!?!?!
Thankfully, a plumber stepped in and said he would replace the line for free! WOW!
What is so amazing is that when I go over to the house while the work is being done, all the kids are staring out the big picture window with the biggest smiles you can imagine. I often wonder what Charlie is thinking as he is looking down from the great cloud of witnesses and seeing what all these strangers are doing for his wife and kids. What an absolutely incredible story that just keeps growing.
Here is an updated flyer with the remaining materials cost we are seeking to raise:
I've had a lot of people asking me what Megan thinks of all of this, so I was able to interview her about the project. In fact, she is going to do a series of interviews on various topics that we are going to call Unscripted with Megan because she doesn't have time to script the answers. These videos will only be available to her members who join the James 1:27 subscription for $12.70 a month. - a fun way to fund the Criniere family going forward.
Megan needs 170 subscribers for her monthly budget to be fully covered.
Check out the video below: