Catholic faith set the foundation for 'Extreme Makeover' homebuilder

CHARLOTTE — Frank Hereda has moved around a bit during his 35 years, but he keeps the values he learned growing up in a Catholic family and as a Catholic student close to his heart wherever he goes.
Hereda, who lived in Ohio, Indiana and Washington, D.C. before moving to Charlotte five years ago, is co-founder of Bellamy Homes, the builders of the latest 'Extreme Makeover' home in Lincolnton that should be completed by Dec. 17. The home will house foster parents Devonda and James Friday of Lincolnton and their children, five of whom they recently adopted.
Hereda credits his family and his childhood with his desire to help others in need.
Pictured: Frank Hereda of Bellamy Homes pauses Dec. 15 on the build site in Lincolnton with his parents, Danny and Dianna Hereda, who came down from Cleveland, Ohio, to help out on the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" house for the Friday family.
"I was born and raised Catholic. I went to St. Paul's Catholic School in Indiana. It's played a large role in my life in the fact that it instilled values from the start and that has shaped my life in an important way."
Hereda and his Bellamy Homes partner, Wade Miller, were friends at Purdue University, and have teamed up to build a company that reflects the Catholic values Hereda learned in his youth.
Their company is taking a huge leap of faith and trust in reaching out to help the Lincolnton family, whose story will appear next Christmas on a special two-hour episode of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" on ABC.
"We wanted a solid foundation (for the company)" Hereda said. "The first thing that came to mind was trust. It's the most important thing."
Building a 4,000-square-foot home in basically four days is going to require a great deal of trust and faith, Hereda admits.
"My faith is important to me. I have always focused on doing the right things... I think that if you just focus on doing the right things – in this case we are focusing on helping this family – we'll be fine. It will work out how it's supposed to work out."
Bellamy Homes and its partners, suppliers and contractors are all donating their time and resources to build the home on Moore Street in Lincolnton, which will be valued at more than $200,000. An army of more than 3,000 volunteers, including students and faculty from Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, are also helping to build this dream home.
Hereda's parents and family from Cleveland, Ohio, have come to help during the build as well.
"We're focused on building this home for the family, raising as much money as we can for them and making sure the home is built well," Hereda said. "Community is instrumental and we are very fortunate at how many people have stepped up and decided to help out."
The Fridays will return from an all-expenses-paid dream vacation to Jamaica on Dec. 17.
Hereda and Miller, along with host Ty Pennington and the design team of 'Extreme Makeover,' and the army of volunteers will be waiting for them to reveal their new home – just in time to celebrate Christmas together as a family.
— SueAnn Howell, staff writer. Photos by SueAnn Howell or provided by Ken Noblezada
Want more "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition?"
For more information on the Lincolnton family who will recieve this new house, click here. Read about the pep rally at Belmont Abbey College here.
Read about Belmont Abbey College makes 'Extreme' gift to Lincolnton family here.
For more about the builder, go to www.bellamyhomes.com.
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