LUMBERTON — Divya McArthur and her family got to see “The Tonight Show” in person on Tuesday, and were surprised when they became part of the show.
Now the family won’t have to give up on their hurricane-damaged South Lumberton home, as help from the Home Depot Foundation and NBC’s “The Tonight Show” is on the way.
The foundation gave the family a free trip to New York City, where they received free tickets to attend the Tuesday broadcast of “The Tonight Show.” The McArthurs thought that was going to be all there was to the trip, a show and a break from what they were dealing with at home.
But during the show host Jimmy Fallon called out the McArthurs by name from the stage and then walked to where Divya was sitting in the audience along with her husband, Terry, and their son, 12-year-old Christian. Their bewilderment made it clear they had no idea what was about to unfold.
Fallon knew that they lived in Lumberton and that their home had been damaged by hurricanes Matthew, in 2016, and Florence, in September. Fallon also knew the family had no flood insurance, so they could not afford repairs. He also knew the home was given to Divya McArthur by her grandmother, Annie Tisdale.
Divya started to cry as Fallon told her the home she had grown up in was going to be totally renovated, inside and out, with the help of the Home Depot Foundation.
She and her son and husband were speechless as applause from the audience erupted around them.
“I’m usually a Chatty Cathy, but I could not speak for an hour or more,” Divya said after hearing the news. “I didn’t see it coming.”
Anthony Lloyd, senior director for faith-based humanitarian organization Operation Blessing’s U.S. Disaster Relief, said volunteers were in the Lumberton area helping homeowners and residents affected by Hurricane Florence and thought the McArthurs needed some special attention. So they nominated them for an Extreme Home Blessing, which was awarded with the help of Home Depot Foundation.
“The McArthurs are a special family and a great group of folks,” he said. “We thought it would be great if they would get it.”
Divya said the members of Operation Blessing are a special group of people.
“They gave me a Bible, and I still have that Bible and I’m going to keep it for the rest of my life,” she said. “They came to help because they cared and gave of their time to help.”
Shannon Gerber, Home Depot Foundation executive director, said they work with nonprofits like Operation Blessing and were happy to go a step further to help the McArthur family. Members of Operation Blessing gave a glowing recommendation for the McArthurs and knew they could have a positive effect in their lives, Gerber said.
The McArthurs’ home needs to be totally renovated with a new furnace, insulation, paint, floors, new furnishings, a new washer and dryer, turf for the backyard and more.
The Home Depot Foundation will pay for it all.
“It will be a nice renovation for them in the sense of making their house feel like a home again,” Gerber said. “We’re excited for them and happy to be a part of it.”
Divya said despite the hurricanes and people trying to persuade her to relocate, there was something that always told her not to turn her back on the house in which she had lived, the home in which her grandmother raised her and gave to her when she died 2004.
“There’s a canopy bed in our bedroom that belonged to my grandmother,” she said. “The bed has survived both storms. It’s the only thing that has held up. Is that a sign or what?”
City Councilman John Cantey Jr.’s precinct includes the McArthurs’ home.
“She’s a great lady, and they are a great family and are deserving of all of God’s blessings coming to them,” he said. “They are good people.”
No timeline has been set for when the work will begin on their home, but the family is patient.
“I’m grateful to have this opportunity,” Divya said. “Everybody knew what was going on except for us.”
Getting the renovation help validates her decision to stay in the home where so many good memories still live, Divya said.
“It’s like a part of you,” she said. “Grandma is smiling down on us. She’s proud.”
