Sears Heroes@Home Volunteers Help Multi-generational Veteran Family

On July 17, 2018 Rebuilding Together Arlington/Fairfax/Falls Church and Sears partnered in Alexandria to serve a multi-generational veteran family as part of the Sears Heroes at Home program.

Judy and Daniel owned their home since 1995. Daniel served honorably in the Army for 28 years and died in 2015. Not long after Daniel died, Judy lost her leg due to a life threatening blood clot.

Before Judy’s husband became ill, they were able to keep the home in good shape. Due to Daniel’s lengthy illness they were unable to keep up with maintenance and repairs. Then Judy became disabled and things got even more difficult. Erin, their daughter, decided to move home with her two young sons to provide assistance to Judy and stability for the boys. Erin is a US Navy Veteran who served immediately following 9/11. She was active for four years as a jet mechanic and left the service when her first son was born.

The Sears Heroes at Home team worked alongside a group of experienced RT-AFF volunteers to make many modifications and repairs so the home is safer and healthier for the extended family. Volunteers reconstructed the steps at the back of the home so they are easier for Judy to navigate safely. Accessibility features were added to the bathroom including a raised-height toilet, grab bars and a hand-held shower. Volunteers also repaired the bathroom floor to reduce tripping hazards. Holes and gaps around the home were filled and sealed for both weatherization and to keep the home pest-free. Volunteers rebuilt the kitchen cabinets and made plumbing repairs to both the kitchen and the bathroom.

Outside the home windows were re-glazed to help with thermal control and all of the windows and trim were painted. The volunteers also cleared the yard of brush and building materials that had accumulated over many years making it safer for Judy, her daughter and her grandsons. They even created a lovely flower garden in front of the house.

Heroes at Home, created through a partnership between Sears and Rebuilding Together, is a national program designed to assist low-income members of the military, their families and veterans with the home repairs and modifications they need. Since the inception of the program in 2007, more than $23 million has been raised for Heroes at Home, and veterans services; and through over 1,700 projects, nearly 42,000 volunteers have donated 333,000 hours to support veterans their families through critical repairs to veterans’ homes and non-profit facilities that serve them. View our Flickr album to see more pictures of the tremendous work we accomplished.