Linda Riggins & Family

Ty Pennington and the rest of the crew from television reality hit Extreme Makeover: Home Edition made its first visit in North Carolina greeted our very own William & Linda with the shout of "Good Morning, Riggins Family!"

Following the surprise greeting, the Riggins family was introduced to the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition team then whisked away to the airport for a seven-day trip to Disney World.

William & Linda has been faced with challenges consistently. Linda grew up poor in Raleigh housing projects and was given little support or encouragement to excel beyond her current situation. She was told she’d never graduate high school yet proved everyone wrong when she graduated from college with honors and then went on to a career in social work.

Her husband William is legally blind but in spite of his impaired eyesight is very handy and enjoys working with his hands. He has worked as a tailor until he lost his eyesight to genetic Retina Peratonitis disease in 1985. Currently, he works as an Assembler at Lions Club Industries, a national organization that provides career services and training for the visually impaired.

The couple has three children, William Jr. (six years old), Christa Marie (four years old) and Earlene (three years old) and the family is actively involved in its community, spending the past 15 years ministering with Building Together Ministries. Linda has helped disadvantaged parents encourage their children to excel in school by providing them with resources, assist with after-school programs and helped the community with many outlets such as summer camps, mentoring programs, and church services.