By Steve Lathrop
Albany Democrat-Herald | Posted: Monday, December 29, 2008 12:00 am
Traci Sears admits to helping a little bit but she points directly to AK Carpet & More and its co-owner Andrea Hampl for going the extra mile.
Sears wanted to help her friend Becky Hibner, who with daughters Cloey and Jillian had just moved into her brother's rental home in Lebanon and is working through a tough time.
"She's been struggling and it was just about helping a friend," Sears said.
Hibner and her daughters are renting the five-bedroom, older home with five roommates. Still in the process of moving in, there was plenty of physical work to do on the home's interior.
Sears saw a way to help and talked to Hampl, another mutual friend, about donating some carpet remnants and other extra material so the renters could start making improvements.
Sears works at Pyburn and Sons, on Highway 20, which is donating paint and some supplies to Hibner to help paint the interior walls.
"Andrea went above and beyond," Sears said.
Hibner said that an AK Carpet installer appeared at her door about two weeks ago and came in and began taking measurements.
"He was doing things I didn't expect and I was worried we were going to have a bill that we couldn't afford," Hibner said.
AK Carpet had no intention of sending a bill. In a single day, Romero Lara not only cleared the entry but put down new linoleum and completely carpeted an adjoining bedroom.
"It was an amazing Christmas gift. Romero was so wonderful," said Hibner, who works at Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital and also is starting a second job working for a friend. "Times have been tough and this was a real surprise."
Hibner and her daughters had been living in a travel trailer in the front yard of her sister and brother-in-law.
"It was crowded for us but it was all we could handle. We had lots of bills on a small income," she said.
Hibner has been trying to rebuild her life after losing a daughter, who was hit by a car two years ago while walking to school. Hibner is hoping to get into Samaritan's imaging program.
"I knew her and I knew her situation," said Hampl, who has run AK Carpet & More with her dad, Ken Burling, since 2000. "Traci called me and I said great, we get to make her our Christmas project."
Hampl said that although Sears had asked only for the remnants and scraps, she knew that very few people are capable of handling installations properly.
"It just seemed like the right thing to do. We try to do something like this every Christmas and it's meaningful when it's someone who you know can use the help," said Hampl. "It felt really right for us."
It also felt pretty good for Hibner, who along with her daughters and roommates will be using the Pyburn & Sons donation very soon.
"We've done some painting but we have more to do. This has all been a great surprise and gave us a Merry Christmas," she said. "It was a huge thing for us. We are very grateful."
AT A GLANCE
Who: AK Carpet & More
Where: 140 S.E. First Ave., Albany
What they do: Provide complete installation of carpet, hardwood, laminate flooring, tile, vinyl and counter tops
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday