A North Platte couple is asking the community to pitch in and help a local widow.

On Saturday August 24th, Ryan and Sarah Alexander will be working on the home of Wilma Hackney, assisting her with home improvement projects.  Hackney, of North Platte, has been a widow since 1998, but that hasn’t slowed her down. She’s spent most of her life helping orphans through the Nebraska Foster Care system, and now it’s time to give back.

Businesses and individuals can help by donating supplies and offering assistance with the projects the Alexanders will be working on.

But the purpose of the project is two-fold.

Not only are the Alexanders wanting to give their assistance to Ms. Hackney, the are also hoping to raise funds to help offset the costs of adopting a little girl from Ghana.

The Alexanders are working with the Both Hands Foundation, which is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to serving widows, orphans and adoptive families.  Founded in 2008, the Nashville-based nonprofit’s purpose is to help people raise funds for orphans while serving widows through home improvement projects such as painting, de-cluttering, cleaning and landscaping.

Ryan says volunteers will be sponsored in much the same way as someone running a 5K or participating in the golf tournament in an effort to raise funds.  The families involved recruit a team of friends to work on a widow’s house.  In advance of the project, teams ask family members, friends and businesses to sponsor them for a day of labor.

All sponsorship funds raised go to help offset the high cost of adoption.

To date, Both Hands has helped over 7,900 people serve a widow in need in their community, and completed over 266 projects.

The Alexanders are currently waiting to be matched with a child from Ghana.  They hope to bring their new child home within the next year.

Donations can be made online at www.bothhands.org/ryan-and-sarah-alexander .