CHARLOTTE, N.C. — To the volunteers with Canopy Realtors Association, Friday was a day to give back to the community by lending a helping hand. But, this volunteer project is so much more to Grace Smith.

Smith and her husband Kenny Smith started the organization Grace-Mar Services Inc. to help formerly incarcerated people reacclimate​ to society.

“I can’t tell you what it means to us, and what it’s going to mean to the people we’re actually going to serve!” Grace Smith said.

Volunteers replaced a deck that didn't meet code standards and paved a safe walkway to the home. 

Grace Smith says rebuilding this home will help some people build new lives. “A transitional home so-to-speak,” she said. “Imagine being locked away for ten years. This world is going to look very different to you."

Grace Smith knows the challenges of someone released from prison through a firsthand account of her nephew, who struggled with big tasks, like finding a place to live, to smaller things.

“Getting his ID was another barrier. Not knowing where to go. Not knowing who to call,” she said.

“We saw him hurting, because he really didn’t understand and didn’t know what to do. That was hard for us to sit and watch,” Grace Smith said.

So, she and her husband helped him find a job and an apartment.  

“And now he owns his own business with a friend, so he’s doing really, really well,” she said.

That’s why Grace smith is rolling up her sleeves, and putting on her gloves to help others.

“These homes are going to be a tool for them to see something different. For them to visualize something different. And for them to realize, ‘hey wait a minute – I can do this,’” she said.

Volunteers added a new deck that meets code standards this time, and installed a safer staircase on the side of the house.

Canopy Realtors Association has been doing realtors car day since 2009. They’ve helped about 300 families since it started.  ​