‘Oh my goodness’: Pay It Forward holds seventh annual reveal for dad, 3 children
Published 7:01 am Saturday, March 21, 2020
Henry Mandler and his family reacts as he sees his home for the first time following a remodel during the Pay It Forward reveal Friday night. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Henry Mandler tries one of the two chair lifts in his house during the Pay It Forward reveal Friday night. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Henry Mandler checks out his new dining room during a tour of his home during the Pay It Forward reveal Friday night. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
A picture of Henry Mandler and his three children hang in the home that’s been newly remodeled by Pay It Forward. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
The bathroom of the Mandler children got a bit of personalization during the Pay It Forward Remodel. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
A look at Henry Mandler’s newl remodeled kitchen done by this year’s Pay It Forward. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
As his three children ran through the house Friday evening, there was little doubt how their father Henry Mandler was feeling.
Sure, they were returning home after a week away, but this wasn’t a run-of-the-mill homecoming. This was a reintroduction to their home thanks Pay It Forward, the local nonprofit that has been remodeling homes for those in need for seven years.
As Mandler, who has been without the use of his legs since being in a car accident on Dec. 18, 2018, wheeled through the house he repeatedly could be heard saying over and over again, “Oh my goodness.”
The remodel of the home seemed bigger this year as work was done in both the upstairs and the downstairs, featuring the inclusion of two chair lifts that will help Mandler upstairs and into the basement.
“I can’t believe it,” Mandler said. “There’s way more here than I thought there would be.”
The inclusion of the chair seemed a necessity for Pay It Forward organizer Gina Grundmeier. Before the remodel, Mandler was using 2×4’s to get up and down the stairs.
“He has such drive and determination,” Grundmeier said. “He’s such a humble spirit.”
For Mandler, the changes to the home represent a much needed change for the better, allowing him to do more of the mundane things each day in a much more simplified manner.
“It makes everything more efficient,” he said. “Before it would take so much longer to do stuff. I can maximize my time.”
Knowing that there is a group out there willing to do the things Pay It Forward does leaves Mandler with a sense of gratitude and hope.
“It means the world,” he said. “It’s absolutely incredible. I don’t think I’m the most deserving, but to know there are people with such big hearts … hopefully someday I can pay it forward.”
After seven years things like Friday’s reveal doesn’t get much better and it certainly doesn’t diminish.
“When he pulled up I started crying,” she said. “There isn’t any better soul food. It’s so incredibly fulfilling.”
