Thursday, January 13, 2011

Before Meets After For Home Of GG Family

They call themselves D.E.B. – Donald, Eleanor and Bruce.

The close-knit family of Donald, Eleanor and Bruce Wix moved from Miami into their Golden Gate home in 1993. On Thursday afternoon they were recognized during a special ceremony hosted by the Golden Gate Task Force.

Donald and Eleanor Wix, both 81, have been married for 51 years. They are dedicated to caring for Bruce, their 44-year-old son with cerebral palsy.

Caring for an adult child with special needs consumes the majority of Donald and Eleanor’s time. As a result, their once vibrant home began showing signs of wear and tear.

The Wixes seemed like a perfect fit when the Golden Gate Task Force began looking for a deserving family for a holiday home makeover project.

The task force is made up of Golden Gate residents, community leaders and representatives of several Collier County government agencies including the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, Code Enforcement, Public Utilities, Golden Gate Fire Department and Waste Management. Its main purpose is to educate residents on code standards and often rewards residents for their adherence to these standards. For this project, several businesses also donated labor and materials. In December volunteers pressure washed, repainted, installed landscaping, reorganized Donald’s tool shed and made minor repairs to the home. They also installed a much-needed wheelchair ramp to make it easier for Bruce to get in and out of the house.

CCSO Lt. Rich Hampton came up with the idea for the task force’s makeover project. On Thursday he marveled at the outcome.

“Its great to take a concept like this and find someone very worthy and deserving and see it through. The resources used played the biggest factor in making this vision a reality, Lt. Hampton said. “Seeing the family come down the ramp during the ceremony today left me a little shaken because now it’s all put together.”

CCSO Cpl. Robert Capizzi presented the Wixes with a plaque on behalf of the task force to mark the occasion.

The CCSO and GGTF give special thanks to the following businesses for making the project a success:

· BioGreen
· G Case Landscaping
· Pelican Nursery
· Davenport Nursery
· American Farms
· Ray’s Garden Center
· Foggs Nursery
· Pine Ridge and Livingston Nursery
· Home Depot
· Hanson Painting
· Raymond Lumber
· Golden Gate Nursery
· Sunshine Ace Hardware
· Dunkin Donuts

The Wix property before the holiday home makeover project began.


Jeff Letourneau of Collier County Code Enforcement and CCSO Cpl. James Klewicki prepare the pressure washer to clean the exterior of the Wix family’s home.


Employees from Hanson Painting donated their time to repaint the Wix property.

Photos by Ellen Loftus/CCSO(3)

The end result after members of the Golden Gate Task Force and community worked together to pressure wash, repaint and landscape the home of Donald, Eleanor and Bruce Wix.


Golden Gate Cpl. Rob Capizzi, alongside Donald, Eleanor and Bruce Wix, presents an award to Gilbert Case of G Case Landscaping for donating the company’s time to clean up the yard.

Photos by Kristi Lester/CCSO(2)