Rent-to-own News - Wasilla ColorTyme helps create home for family in need

The White family with ColorTyme store manager, Karuna McMurtry at right.

After learning that local resident Jim White and his family of four were living in a trailer on the verge of collapse, a community-wide effort began to improve their living conditions through the Jim White House Project.

Thanks to the help of ColorTyme, Mat-Su Home Builders Association, United Protestant Church, along with the support of numerous other local businesses and individuals, the White family recently moved into a new home just in time for winter.

Custom built with wider-than-standard doorways, the new home is adapted to accommodate special needs for wheelchair-bound Jim White, whose legs were amputated due to peripheral artery disease.

ColorTyme furnished the home with an easily accessible washer/dryer unit and a bunk bed for Jim’s sons – a donation totaling $2,842.16. In addition, the ColorTyme truck collected and delivered other donations including mattresses, tables, chairs, frames and a couch. Karuna McMurtry, Wasilla ColorTyme store manager, is happy to have been a part of the giving effort.

“Every family deserves a safe and secure place to live, and it was encouraging to see our community come together to provide that,” she said. “I’m glad we were able to fulfill a dream for the White family and give them the items they need for their new home. It feels like we really made a difference.”

Mark Childers, owner of the ColorTyme franchise, said the project was an opportunity to extend his store’s values and be part of a greater good.

“The Jim White House Project shows first hand that when a group of people each give a little assistance, the outcome is overwhelming. The outpouring of community support has made it a very positive and memorable experience for everyone,” he said. “At ColorTyme, helping others is essential in our business; it’s what our stores are all about. We are always willing to support people in times of need and help create a better future for them. ”