Ed, an Army veteran, and his wife, Jennifer, moved to Colorado Springs from Boulder County to be closer to family. Jennifer explains that she was spending five days per week in the Springs to care for a grandchild, but that situation wasn’t sustainable. “We’ve been married almost 30 years,” she says. “We kind of like each other. We would like to reside in the same house.”
When they bought their Colorado Springs home, they knew they would have to replace the windows and roof. What they didn’t anticipate was having to spend more than $40,000 on a sewer tap because the line had collapsed. They sold another property to cover that repair but had nothing left to pay for the windows, roof, or electrical issues. Jennifer’s mother, Sandy, who has advanced Alzheimers, lives with them, and they also needed to make the home accessible for her.
Before selling their other property, they had reached out to the United Way and 2-1-1 Colorado, who supplied contact information for organizations that might help. One of those was Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity’s home repair program. When Leah Cowles, home repair manager, contacted them, though, they initially refused.
“I sent Leah an e-mail saying, ‘Thank you so much, but in the end we figured out how to pay for the sewer,’ so we were going to respectfully decline because we wanted to make sure there were funds available for everybody,” Jennifer explains.
However, Cowles contacted the family again and explained that The Home Depot Foundation had provided a grant specifically for repairs on veterans’ homes. “She explained to me that the funds were set aside for veterans, and this is because of Ed’s service,” Jennifer says.
Ed emphasizes that while he appreciates the home-improvement project, his military career was rewarding even without it. “If I didn’t know all this were to happen, I still would have joined the Army for four years and re-enlist for more,” he says. “I always loved what I did in the military.”
Pikes Peak Habitat is replacing their windows and screen doors, addressing electrical issues, adding accessibility features, and possibly repairing the roof.
Accepting assistance was difficult at first—Jennifer uses the word “humbling”—but they encourage other prospective homeowners to “step back and accept a blessing sometimes,” she says. “Usually I’m the one that gives them, or tries to do that, so to be on the receiving end of it is great.”
Despite some health challenges, Ed has assisted with the repairs as much as possible. “They’re doing this to my house, so I try to do the same for them,” he says. “I put my blood, sweat, and tears into it, too.”
For her sweat equity, Jennifer participated in COS-ILoveYou’s CityServe event April 29 and also is helping with therapeutic horseback riding.
While the project, which spans more than two weeks, has caused some chaos in their home—requiring them to move furniture away from outer walls, for example—the couple characterize the experience as overwhelmingly positive.
“You guys are genuine and you just want to help,” Jennifer says.
“I’m very grateful that I’m getting this opportunity to help with my house and my family, and I just honor being in the military and all this falling in my lap, and being blessed with all this goodness that we’re getting for our family,” says Ed. “[I’m] just overwhelmed. I need a helping hand, and then all of a sudden it happens. It’s like a blessing.”
They plan to stay in the home, which they share with an adult son as well as Sandy, Jennifer’s mom, for the rest of their lives.
“This is our forever home,” says Jennifer. “I’m glad we made this move. My heart’s a little more content and at ease around this place.”
About The Home Depot Foundation
The Home Depot Foundation, the nonprofit arm of The Home Depot, works to improve the homes and lives of U.S. veterans, support communities impacted by natural disasters and train skilled tradespeople to fill the labor gap. Since 2011, the Foundation has invested more than $475 million in veteran causes and improved more than 55,000 veteran homes and facilities. The Foundation has pledged to invest half of a billion dollars in veteran causes by 2025 and $50 million in training the next generation of skilled tradespeople through the Path to Pro program. To learn more about The Home Depot Foundation visit HomeDepotFoundation.org and follow us on Twitter @HomeDepotFound and on Facebook and Instagram @HomeDepotFoundation.
