Friends pitch in for Ownbys

BEAUFORT, Mo. -- The cars started arriving one after another at the Ownby house in Beaufort one hot evening last month, but not one of the drivers pulled in the driveway, let alone the oversized garage. That, after all, was what everyone was there to celebrate.

The men and women who volunteered and contributed in building the new A-frame structure for the family had come back to see the finished project, including the large upstairs room that the Ownbys' children, Ben and Amanda, had converted to a game room.

The project, which was completed exactly one year to the day after it began, was a dream come true for the Ownby family, who last year had hoped to be able to afford to build a carport with a shed to serve as a portable game room for Ben.

After sharing their thoughts with a few relatives, though, those plans became the inspiration for people all over the area who had been wanting to show their support for the Ownbys since Ben was kidnapped in January 2007, then miraculously found days later and reunited with his family.

"It's wonderful," said Doris Ownby, of the new garage/playroom, noting it far surpassed what the family had imagined.

Broad smile

Ben had few words to express his thoughts, but the broad smile across his face gave away how he was feeling. He had already moved his game systems into the playroom, along with an air hockey table and foosball table that had previously been relegated to the basement due to lack of space. Next he plans to move the many model airplanes and such that have taken over his bedroom.

Amanda has hung several pieces of her artwork on the walls and moved in her own gaming system, a Super Nintendo.

Laverne and Herb Fitzgerald and Mona and Rueben Pollmann, aunts and uncles of the Ownbys, made some of the first calls to rally community support. Laverne said she got in touch with another aunt, Connie Feth, who is involved with the Boy Scouts of America and had more social connections.

Then with one call to the Franklin County Sheriff's Department, the upgraded garage/game room was on its way as a project of the Franklin County Sheriff's Association. Organized in 2000, the Franklin County Sheriff's Association is a civic group that provides a means for the deputies to get involved in local outreach efforts, said deputy Travis Blankenship, who spearheaded the Ownby project.

"Our mission is to take care of any need that would arise for deputies or law enforcement that cannot be included in the budget," Blankenship said.

"Things like an awards banquet or a Christmas party. We also formed a fund to help when officer T.J. Wild was shot and injured -- a lot of other groups help out only when an officer is killed -- and we helped a local firefighter who had some serious medical needs."

Garage project

When Feth contacted Franklin County Sheriff Gary Toelke about possibly helping with the garage project for the Ownbys, he put her in touch with the association, which was more than happy to get involved.

"All of the deputies here were close to the investigation, so we asked how we could move forward to help with the project," Blankenship said.

Several members of the association, including Blankenship, have experience in construction so they volunteered to build the structure. They also called in favors from others they know in the business.

"We called in a lot of favors," Blankenship said, "but everyone we spoke with was more than happy to help.

"The Ownbys are the epitome of good people -- a strong family with strong values," he said. "We all wanted to do something to let them know how much we support them."

In the end, dozens of people volunteered their time and expertise. Some even made cash donations. In many cases the materials were donated or provided at a reduced cost.

"It took a lot of weekends, nights and days off to get it done, but we were happy to do it," Blankenship said.

Drew Guenther of Union Furniture, which donated the carpet for the gameroom, was one of the handful of volunteers who returned last month to see the end result.

"It was an opportunity to help out a little bit and do something extra special for somebody who deserves it," he said.

Ron Salvino, whose company Salvino Building Supply in Washington provided the windows and doors for the project, got involved when Feth, one of his employees at the time, told him what they were trying to do.

"I just let her have her way with it," Salvino remarked.

Several other volunteers had a personal connection with the project. Jeff Dunkin of Orkin in House Springs, lives in St. Clair, serves the Franklin County area and his wife works for the sheriff's department.

"These are great people, and it was a great privilege to be able to serve them," he said.

Other volunteers, like Scott Smith and Luke Richardson with S&R Custom Concrete, got involved after Blankenship approached them.

"When he told us what was going on, we jumped at the opportunity," said Smith. "It meant even more because it was for the Ownby family."

Volunteer after volunteer echoed those feelings.

"It felt good to help a neighbor," said Ralph Schroeder, a retired contractor who framed the building.

"It was for a good cause, to help somebody out in need," said Mike Hubenthal of Hubenthal Painting in Leslie, who also happens to be Blankenship's cousin. Stan Bolzenius with Boco Electric didn't think twice about volunteering on the project.

"I was born and raised in this county, and I've known these people [the Ownbys] all my life," he said. "When Travis called, I said, 'No problem.' It's the neighborly thing to do."