Uplifting stories of generosity from around the country

By Emma Peterson. 

How roofing companies are changing veterans’ lives, one home at a time. 

With a constant news cycle, it’s hard to keep up with everything happening in the world. But we are here to share some good stories about good people. For your daily dose of happy news, here are four stories of communities coming together to protect veterans who have spent their lives protecting our country.  

1 – A Texas Navy veteran 

A roofing company in southeast Texas, SETX Roofing Pros, held a community giveaway, “Operation Overwatch,” at the end of last year. The recipient of the giveaway was Anthony Cordel, a disabled Navy veteran living in Lumberton, Texas. Anthony served aboard the USS San Jacinto from 1996 to 2001. At the end of his career, he was medically discharged after being diagnosed with Becker’s muscular dystrophy. 

After returning home, he was faced with new limitations and expenses that made big home repairs, like a roof replacement, out of reach. So, when SETX Roofing Pros selected him for their Operation Overwatch giveaway, they couldn’t believe it. As Anthony told 12News, “I’m at a loss for words. It didn’t seem real until the supplies arrived yesterday.” 

For Steve Pike and the team at SETX Roofing Pros, they were just happy to make a difference in their community. He shared, “Roofs aren’t cheap, and we work hard all year long. This may be another day at the office for us, but we’re really trying to make an impact in Southeast Texas.” 

2 – A Korean War veteran in Wisconsin 

Heading North, we have a story about a veteran in Madison, Wisconsin. Gerald Boehnen served in the Korean War in 1951 and 1952, and his son nominated him for Heins Contracting’s sixth annual Roofing A Vet campaign. When he found out that he was chosen for a new roof free of charge, he was shocked, telling WMTV, “I couldn’t believe it to be truthful because I never won nothing in my life.”  

When asked about the campaign and reroofing, Bryan Heins, co-owner of Heins Contracting, simply said it was born of a desire to give back to the men and women who served our country. He shared, “It feels great to give back to people and especially giving back to people like our veterans where I feel like for everything they do for our country that they don’t quite get enough recognition especially the older veterans when they’ve been through so much.” 

3 – An Ohio Air Force veteran 

Over in Ohio, the Third Estimate runs a program with a similar goal of giving back to veterans called the Third Patriot Project. Through this program, they are able to provide a free roof for one or two veterans each year, veterans like Jared Bzdock.  

Jared served in the U.S. Air Force over the course of six years and was deployed on two tours in Iraq. He found out about the program when he met Tara Colopy, the CEO of the Third Estimate, at his local Veterans Association. When Tara heard that he and his wife’s roof, which had been replaced just five years ago, was going soft and losing shingles, she knew that she and her team could help.  

Jared almost couldn’t believe it, telling News 5, “Who does that? Who gets a new roof for free? Most people think of a roof like, ‘Oh, it's just a roof.’ But no, it's like somebody handing you $20,000. It's amazing.” 

4 – A National Guard veteran from Minnesota 

Our final story today comes from Minnesota and centers around Trevor Nelson, a U.S. Army National Guard veteran. Trevor has dedicated his life to serving and giving to others, having joined the guard at 17, back in 2003.  

Last fall, the Owens Corning Roof Deployment Program, Purple Heart Homes and Priority Construction came together to give Trevor a thank-you gift for his decades of service – a brand-new roof! The gift was incredible for Trevor and his family, who told ABC 6 News, “I got the call while I was at work, kind of beside myself, I didn’t think I’d get approved... It’s very humbling, it’s surreal that this is getting done and I won’t have to worry about my roof for another 20, 30 years, [it’s incredible].”