I'm not a single parent, but I can just imagine how hard it would be -- working a couple of jobs while doing your best to raise your kids right and provide a safe place for them to live. So when I received this e-mail from a woman in Bridgeville, PA, a town just south of Pittsburgh, I knew Pittsburgh Good Deeds needed to help:

"I read an article about your mission and it's truly amazing. Everyone has or will need help at some point in their life. i am a single mother who owns a small home.I previously had someone to help with home repairs, but they are no longer present. I would need someone trustworthy and someone who will not take advantage, both with workmanship or costs."

When I arrived with my helper John and his son Ethan (our comic relief), we saw that the woman has a cozy house where she's raising her daughter. But her windows were in really bad shape. They were leaking and letting water migrate in behind the siding, slowly damaging the house.

Our new friend's window sills and frames were rotting.

We got right to work fixing the windows, and decided to give her a great "extra" surprise:

I can tell you that the homeowner was over the moon about her window repair, including the extra work we did to make the house look the way she had always dreamed. John and I both felt pretty good after, too! Plus John got to put a lot of the skills he has been learning to the test, all while on a ladder!