The Girard family lost their home to a fire a year ago, then faced an unimaginable double tragedy when husband Thomas and eldest son Marc drowned during a family swim, leaving Carol and her four children devastated.

Pinnacles of their community, the Girard family has always participated in a variety of volunteer efforts and charitable missions. The true heroism and courage of Thom and Marc Girard will live forever in the memories of the many people whose lives they touched. Both members of MIM, a Catholic lay movement associated with the Franciscans of the Immaculate, as well as a men’s group affiliated with the MIM called the Knights of Lepanto, father and son embodied the spirit of generosity and dedication in all aspects of their lives. Marc had just graduated from Norwich Free Academy and was planning to study to become a priest, while Thom, a computer technician, donated his time to fundraise for the elderly and the poor and to repair computers at the children’s elementary school. 

When the family lost their home in an accidental fire, all seven family members moved first into a tent, then into a tiny camper on the family’s property. Then, one afternoon in June, Thom and three of his children went for a swim in a nearby lake. When Thom began having trouble breathing, 18-year-old Marc made sure his two younger siblings were safe before rushing into the lake to help his father. Tragically, neither Marc nor his father made it back.   
 
The Girard Family needs help and it is up to Ty and his designers to build this brave family a new home: a place where they can recover from the immeasurable loss they’ve experienced. While Ty, the designers, local builder Home Designs by Bruno and hundreds of volunteers and workers are building their home, Carol, Adam, Jacqueline, Lucas and Hannah will go on vacation to Walt Disney World.