DAN FERGUSON

Times Reporter

Victoria Newstead and her brother Jim got to see the results of this year鈥檚 Extreme Home Repair (EHR) Monday afternoon.

As friends and neighbours cheered and chanted 鈥渕ove that bus鈥� a church bus pulled away to reveal the changes made to the aging Brookswood manufactured home the two grew up in, which was .

鈥淥h my gosh,鈥� she said.

Newstead called the experience 鈥渟urreal.鈥�

鈥淲e knew that we just weren鈥檛 going to get to this for years and years and years, and it was going to get worse and worse,鈥� she said.

鈥淚t was on my mind 24/7.鈥�

The work on the house included bathroom renovations, new flooring, renovating the deck, fixing mould issues and installing new windows.

It was the 14th year for EHR, a non-profit outreach organization run by Church in the Valley鈥檚 鈥淎cts of Kindness鈥� team (AOK).

Established in 2004, the Extreme Home Repair project brings together over 200 volunteers, dozens of community-minded businesses, friends, family, and neighbours to renovate the home of a local individual or family, to give the selected recipients a fresh start in a safe and comfortable environment.

Both of the siblings鈥� parents are gone 鈥� their father died 15 years ago in a dirt biking accident in the Baja Peninsula, and their mother passed away two years ago.

Newstead and her brother can thank her mother鈥檚 best friend enough, Madeleine Derappe, for nominating them for the 2017 EHR project.

鈥淲e still see her a couple times a week,鈥� Newstead said. 鈥淪he keeps tabs on us pretty good.鈥�

When she found out they had been chosen, Newstead was shocked. 鈥淚 literally read the message out loud on my phone and I said, 鈥極h my God, Madeleine has connected us with the church and they want to repair the house and my brother said, 鈥楴o way.鈥欌��

On top of having a home makeover, Victoria was given a beauty makeover.

Local realtor Diane Sparks-Cassidy has once again joined forces with the to continue a 91原创 tradition.

Each year, Sparks-Cassidy funds a makeover for recipient, who is pampered at the 91原创 cosmetology school.

This year, Victoria received the royal treatment at the school 鈥� at no charge. Newstead received a full body massage, which she described as a 鈥渇ull hour of pure bliss,鈥� as well as facial, manicure, and a pedicure.

鈥� with files from Troy Landreville