From our clients:

The stories of the people and families we serve are as varied as the donors and the volunteers who work on their homes. But one thing they have in common is the desire to remain independent and to live with dignity in their own homes as long as possible.

Most of them have not needed much help in their lives. They raised their families in these homes and participated in their neighborhoods and communities. But now, because of health problems due to either disability or age, coupled with limited income, their homes need repairs and modifications for safety that they cannot afford. Sometimes all it takes is a handrail and some new steps, or some weatherstripping. Sometimes the problems have been adding up for years and it takes the work of a team to rehabilitate many areas of the home.

Whatever the circumstances, the work of Rebuilding Together transforms their homes and their lives, for the homeowners, and for the volunteers who gave the gift of their time and talents.

Here are a few of their stories:

Living History – Megan Ross

Rebuilding Together – it’s about making a difference in other people’s lives. It’s about rebuilding, renewing, and revitalizing. Something Megan Ross is also very familiar with as the mother of six children whose life challenges and learning disabilities might very well have led them down a different path. As she approached her 50s, Megan began to experience health problems. It was around this time that she also began to take an interest in adoption and foster care.

She soon found out that “...when somebody else’s problems that you‘re caring for are worse than yours, you don’t have problems anymore.” As a former art teacher, Megan had a lot to offer.Over the course of the last ten years, she has given Collin, Kamela, Jordan, Christal, Serra, and David a home & taught them life skills through home-schooling and recreation. Her creative approach helped teach where traditional methods might have failed.

“I’m an art teacher, so everything I do has to be around the arts... I home-schooled them all for three years, so everything they learned was through art, even if it was math... I know you use it <math> all the time, but you don’t use it like on paper.”  Her kids are now doing well in school. In return, the kids have given Megan a reason to get out of bed every morning.

Like her kids, Megan’s house also has special needs. Having lived here for more than a decade, the house had seen its share of wear. While Megan and her family have done what they can – small repairs, painting, etc. – and contracted out for larger repairs (plumbing, etc.), the home needed more. Rebuilding Together was able to provide energy and enthusiasm as well as new life to parts of Megan’s home. When asked about her favorite memory of the Rebuilding experience, she replied: “Oh, the kids excitement; the guy came out from the Broncos and they were so excited; they came out and... gave them all shirts from Rebuilding and signed them... and especially the doggy door... that was one thing the kids wanted for Buster.” Repairs to the fence, roof, and bathroom have eased Megan’s concerns about her home. “I think having the stuff done created less worry... I don’t think anything was unsafe; like I don’t think the house was going to fall apart or burn down. I was worried about it leaking... but yeah, it is much more peaceful because I’m not worried about things as much.”

                                                           JOSEPH VIGIL

    
“If you want to change things, the best thing you can do is to be there and be an active member of an organization,” so says 93 year old Joseph Vigil.  After speaking with  Steve, a council person and friend, Joe received an application to have some needed repairs done to his home. With his “go to it” and energetic style, Joe applied for and found assistance from 34 willing volunteers from Rebuilding Together Metro Denver. RTMD is a non-profit organization which assists the elderly and the disabled with rehabilitation of their homes so that they will be able to continue to live in warmth, safety and independence.

Joe is no stranger to accomplishing things in his community, having worked for the School Board for 18 years , and then for the Denver Water Board for 25. He sums it up as a lifetime of experience in knowing the right question and the right person to ask.

“How wonderful and grateful I was that the people did what they did. It was enjoyable and I needed the work to be done. “  For Joe and Rebuilding Together Metro Denver, it was a perfect combination.

Joe has lived for 53 years at his home in Thornton, Colorado .  It was here that Joe and his wife, Anne, raised  their family of three cherished daughters . “One is a nurse, one is in Phoenix, and one is at 104th Street. “ Joe lost his wife in 1997, and has been on his own since. It  has become increasingly difficult for Joe to get around, and maintenance issues in the home  have become more pressing. This is where Rebuilding Metro together made the critical difference in ensuring Ed’s continued enjoyment of his family home.

Joe describes the special crew from RTMD who were not only  professional and courteous but but who immediately set to work fixing cracks in the walls, improving the plumbing, including fixing the shower head, putting safety bars in the showers,
and replacing both the furnace and the hot water heater.  Joe laughed with delight when he said that he would enjoy the new furnace in the cold Colorado winters!

Before moving to his home of 53 years, Joe lived in Trinidad, Colorado. It was  here during the Great Depression, where he began a career in teaching. He taught seventh and eighth grade at a school located a mile west of his house. Like so many
Americans of his time, he was sent off to war. Joe recounts the tragic story of losing two of his brothers, and so, was asked not to return to spare his family the potentialfor further loss. His life journey led him to relocate from Colorado to Los Angeles, California, where he worked for Douglas Aircraft.

Joe speaks of his father, a man who worked in the mines for 32 years. His dad advised Joe to get out of the mines and get to work. His counsel was “You have to work on your own if you want something.”  Joe’s brother who was Counsel for the U.S. government is said to be Joe’s mentor. His posts took him to Caracas, Guam, Tegucigulpa and finally Mazatlan, Mexico.  Joe ponders his past and says, “I always thought I could do it- maybe not as well as he did, but I could do it.”

Clarifying the difference between a house and a home, Joe describes a home as a place which holds your memories, where children are raised and from where they are sent to  college. “A house is just a shelter, simply put,” says Joe.  He describes
his family as the most important  factor in his life today.  “If you don’t have a good family, everything is broken. Everything! Everyone is sour and gripes.”  Joe describes his daughters as his pride and joy.

Joe is a believer in getting out and contacting friends, church members and different people of the community and government. “If you want to be something, you have to work for it,  get out and meet people.”  So it was with his contact for assistance from Rebuilding Together Metro Denver. Joe knew just the right questions to ask in order to continue his enjoyment of his home, a beloved spot which holds memories of so much more than a mere house ever could.