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A Roof for a Local Hero: How a Community Helped a Veteran

Rob Poettgen
30 March 2022

Reaching out to Veterans around the Kansas City Metro

Both Habitat for Humanity’s Veteran’s Build Program and Owens Corning’s National Roof Deployment Project are “nationwide efforts to show gratitude and honor the veterans who served our country and the families who supported them.” Owens Corning depends on partnerships with outreach organizations across the nation, such as Habitat for Humanity, to identify needs in the local communities. This allows the Veteran’s Build Program to reach the global community by focusing primarily on local heroes through neighborhood businesses like Bordner.

In this case, Wade W. is our first local hero referred to Habitat of Humanity of Kansas City by the VA. Wade was a mechanic in the Army from 1986 to the mid 90s, but today he is known as the neighborhood repairman for his readiness to lend tools, time, and expertise to those in need. Recently, Wade had fallen on hard times and found himself in need. He spent the last year putting buckets under multiple indoor leaks during each rain storm. Some of these leaks were near his power breaker, posing a fire hazard.

This is when Habitat KC, Owens Corning, and Bordner stepped in

Now the man who took care of his nation and his neighbors would be taken care of. When asked how he felt about the new roof he replied, “Having the resources available to help you just exist is incredible.” Even as our team pulled up to his home to begin work he was giving his neighbor a helping hand on a project. In fact, a good portion of the neighborhood swung by throughout the process to express their delight that he was now getting the support he deserved.

As one of several Owens Corning Platinum Preferred Contractors, Bordner Home Improvement was honored to answer the call and provide the labor and skill to not only protect Wade’s property from a fire, but ensure his roof is top-quality. Wade stated, “When I saw Bordner was involved, it totally took all the stress out because I knew one-hundred percent that I’m gonna have a good qualified company take care of it for me.” He admits he was relieved not to have to micromanage it because he could, “trust that they were gonna do absolutely the right thing.”

Community Awareness

Wade is not alone. Studies show that over a million Veterans struggle with today’s cost of living. In response, Habitat KC and Owens Corning are educating local communities on this issue and have set a goal to help 21,000 veterans with unsafe housing due to financial concerns.

In addition to affordable home repairs, Habitat KC provides families and individuals the opportunity to purchase new and renovated homes with an interest-free mortgage through their Homeownership Program. Qualified participants attend financial education classes and commit to completing 350 hours of sweat equity by helping to build their homes and the homes of other Habitat KC families. See the links below for more information on Habitat KC’s homeownership and home repair services.

Thank You for Your Service

Melissa from Habitat for Humanity of Kansas City says, “This is just a minor way for us to give back to the servicemen and women that have gone and dedicated their lives to our country. We are forever indebted to them and want to make sure we provide the service they need.”

Bordner is humbled to be invited to participate in this program and we are excited to see how quickly we can grow its reach in the community. If you’re interested in donating, volunteering or know someone who would be, check out these opportunities to give where it counts.

From the heart of Bordner to all our servicemen and women: thank you for your service and dedication to the freedoms you have defended. As we endeavor to be worthy of your sacrifice, we must agree with JFK that, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”