Gift certificates help hurricane victims rebuild homes

CHAMPAIGN – With her family of six uprooted from their homes by the fury of Hurricane Katrina, Serena Allen finds joy in the small things. Like her washer and dryer.

She bought the used set last week for just $25, thanks to a gift certificate from Homeworks, Habitat for Humanity's home-improvement resale store in Champaign. It's a big improvement over the constant trips to the laundromat to keep her children outfitted in this unfamiliarly cold weather.

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