"They were insanely thankful"

When Caleb White was six, he saw his first homeless person in Detroit, Michigan. It touched him so deeply he began assembling care packages and giving them to homeless people. Now 15, White has started the Caleb White Project, in cooperation with the Detroit Rescue Mission. All the board members of his Project are younger than 18. This summer, they teamed up with the Rescue Mission and Lowe's Heroes program to renovate a duplex from top to bottom for two homeless families.

White said many volunteers, including 300 Lowe's employees, "were down there every day" and "worked around the clock" in August to prepare the homes for their new owners. On August 26, both families were given keys. "When we went in and actually got to take them through the houses, they were shocked," says Caleb. "They were beyond happy. They kind of melted down." He feels the small, special touches meant the most. "We got their address engraved on a little plaque, and it really symbolized that they have somewhere to go and call their own. They were insanely thankful."