#heroesathome

The ones who run toward danger are the ones we celebrate at home. This personalized firefighter helmet ornament isn’t just a decoration — it’s a tribute to every midnight call answered, every life saved, and every heartbeat that raced for others.

Engraved with your firefighter’s name, it’s a reminder that courage has a name… and a home to come back to.

This holiday season, honor a hero with something as brave as they are. 🚒💛

Sandra, 72, and Lee, 78, were referred to Rebuilding Together Seattle through a local Fall Prevention program. Unfortunately, Lee had taken a serious fall in their home and—after the local fire department responded—the couple was identified having a high risk for repeat falls. In order to make sure that both Sandra and Lee could live safely and more independently in their home, they needed grab bars and other safety improvements made. Rebuilding Together Seattle came out to make those modifications in fall 2014, but realized that the couple’s home had other critical repair needs.

Since moving into their current home in 1998, Sandra and Lee had for many years been able to keep up with the moderate amount of maintenance needed for their mid-century home. As a Marine having served three years during the Korean Conflict, Lee was used to working hard and—despite being well into his 70s—continued to work down the street at a gas station and car shop a few days each week, both as a way to earn a little extra money to supplement their Social Security payments and to keep active. However, this past spring their house had a major roof failure following heavy rainstorms, and the entire back half of their house was inundated with water that caused visible damage to ceilings and flooring, and damage to the walls.

Sandra and Lee were able to have the roof repaired, but were still unable to repair the ceiling, walls and windows, or replace the flooring. After some investigative work on the condition of the walls— and particularly the insulation behind the walls—Rebuilding Together Seattle was able to get to work. With the help of Sears’ Heroes at Home volunteers, they repaired missing sections of the ceiling, fixed damaged light fixtures and stabilized the buckling subflooring under the carpet. Separate from the repairs needed due to the roof failure, volunteers also completed minor repair work to the bathroom—including replacing a tub surround and resetting a toilet—and completed some interior and exterior painting and clutter removal.

Lee served his country as a Marine, and Rebuilding Together and Sears are honored to have been able to serve him and his wife by ensuring that they have a safe, healthy and accessible home!

The Heroes at Home Program is a collaborative partnership between Sears and Rebuilding Together. Since 2007, more than 40,000 volunteers have donated nearly 320,000 hours to serve low-income members of the military, their families and veterans by making the critical home repairs and modifications they need to ensure a safe and healthy home.

This Mothers’ Day, the Heroes at Home Program celebrates Betty. Betty is an Army veteran. She retired in 2012, after 38 years of service to her country. She served many roles while in the Army, and — as she likes to say — she started at the bottom and worked her way up. Using her training from her time in the Army, Betty studied nursing and became a Licensed Practical Nurse. 

She is also the adoptive mother of a seven-year-old boy named Brandon. Brandon has Down syndrome and requires expensive medical care and treatment. Sadly, Betty's husband of many years died recently, and she was left to raise Brandon on her own. The medical bills that followed her husband’s death, and caring for the needs of a 7-year-old have left Betty financially burdened. 

Betty’s Oklahoma City home is 89 years old. She says that it had remained in good condition until recent years, but due to earthquakes and the weathering of time, the house had become unsafe and unstable. The floor started to crack and buckle, the ceiling started to sag and the home was in need of a new roof. On the coldest day of winter, Betty’s heat stopped working. She called a local company who discovered that Betty’s home had gas leaks and was not energy efficient. 

Unable to afford the costly repairs, the company recommended that she call Rebuilding Together OKC. She needed a bathroom that was suitable for her and her son. She needed a kitchen that was functional and safe. She needed plumbing that was reliable. Rebuilding Together OKC worked with Betty to make those critically needed repairs and safety modifications. Thanks to the effort of many volunteers, local companies and Rebuilding Together OKC staff, Betty and Brandon can remain safe, warm and dry in their home. 

Betty is currently in school, pursuing a second degree in Healthcare Administration. She wants to better educate herself so she can provide for Brandon. Betty says her purpose from God at this time to take care of Brandon to the best of her ability, and she hopes to work in a skilled nursing facility and help people get back home. 

“People spend a lifetime in their homes, working to pay for it,” said Betty. “A nursing home is not a place to die. People want to be at home so they can comfortably meet Jesus asleep in their beds.” 

The Heroes at Home Program is a collaborative partnership between Sears and Rebuilding Together. Since 2007, more than 40,000 volunteers have donated nearly 320,000 hours to serve low-income members of the military, their families and veterans by making the critical home repairs and modifications they need to ensure a safe and healthy home.