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BELTON FAMILY – 2003 RTP HOMEOWNERS
It's no wonder that 11 Wharton graduate students vied to be the House Captain who organizes the student volunteers for work on Carol and Emmanuel Belton's
home. The Beltons are, well, amazing. The first part of the story is tragic. The Beltons' daughter and young grandson died in the arson fire that severely damaged their home. The second part of the story is inspiring.
The American Red Cross of Philadelphia asked Carol to be a spokesperson for their disaster relief program. Officially, she works at the health department, but has become the neighborhood's "go to" person for
referrals for services ranging from city repair services to victim support groups. Emmanuel is studying to be a certified pharmacist and is still overwhelmed at the amount of caring and support they have
received. Instead of moving as far away from their Mantua Street home as possible, they were eager to move back to the neighborhood where they grew up, encouraged by aunts and cousins who were there to welcome them.
Although several agencies (including the Red Cross) helped stabilize the house after the fire, the Beltons did not know how they would be able to make the necessary repairs to move back in. Referred by a Daily News reporter, RTP stepped in with an unusual twist on the warm, safe, dry approach. Volunteers spent a good deal of time cleaning and scraping the walls, ceilings, and floors to remove soot and blistered paint. Then, step by step they repainted each room and did a number of repair projects throughout the house and front porch.
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