RT-AFF and Lockheed Martin Partner to Assist a Disabled Veteran

Delia dotes over her husband John, a veteran who served during the Korean War and continued to serve state-side for many years until he became disabled. Delia and John have lived in their home for 35 years. Now that John uses a walker and wheelchair their home was not safe for him to navigate – especially the front covered porch where he loves to spend time during nice weather. There was a huge step down from the front door to the old concrete porch and John could not get out of their home without assistance, or get to the driveway so Delia could take him to doctor’s appointments.

A group of RT-AFF skilled volunteers built the foundation for the new deck with a zero-entry threshold and the foundation for the ramp in preparation for the Lockheed Martin work day. The Lockheed team cut and installed all the deck and ramp boards and now John can easily get out on the porch by himself. Delia, who is about one third of John’s size can now safely guide him down the ramp to their driveway.

The Lockheed volunteers also installed a comfort height toilet and grab bars, painted a shed, scraped and painted the foundation, and made Delia’s gardens even more beautiful with edging and mulch. Together the teams corrected 14 Health and Safety Priorities, so John and Delia’s home now meets all 25 priorities. Delia doted over all the volunteers and prepared snacks and food to show her appreciation. Later, Delia wrote “All these volunteers have beautiful and kind hearts. We are so grateful for each and every one of you.”

At Rebuilding Together-AFF, we believe everyone should be given the opportunity to live in a safe and healthy home, especially our nation’s veterans. We are grateful for the partnership with Lockheed Martin which allowed us to deepen our impact and address an urgent housing challenge for a local veteran.

Please visit our Flickr for more photos of the volunteers at work making John and Delia’s home safe and accessible.