MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Lindsey Kirksey lived in the back room of his aging home. Down and out, his roof was falling in, the plumbing needed work and the walls, repaired.
The 82-year-old Korean War veteran could not afford the expenses it took to renovate the home in which he was born - a home that had been in the family for 100 years. It wasn’t until he applied for home renovation assistance that his house, and his life, was put back together.
That happened earlier this month.
Renovations to his home were supported by the Sears’ Heroes at Home Program, which worked locally with Rebuilding Together Central Alabama and AmeriCorps. About $25,000 in grant money was available for the project from Sears and Exelis, a global aerospace and defense company. Organizers had hoped to keep the total cost of the project at less than $30,000.
It took a few months of labor to repair the home on McKinney Street near downtown Montgomery, during which RTCA funded a hotel stay for Kirksey.
“It’s a blessing to serve your country,” Kirksey, who served in a special service group called the 388th Chemical Corps, said Sunday at the “opening” of his home. “And it’s a blessing that 50 years later, you see so many people, so many volunteers that want to help people. I appreciate the help, the volunteer group, and I do appreciate the concern.
“It’s a blessing from me, and it’s coming from God. I put Him first. God is wonderful. God does, He sees, and He will help you if you believe in Him and help other people.”
RTCA, Exelis Action Corps and AmeriCorps assisted in the home repairs. RTCA gathered several volunteer groups throughout Montgomery to complete repairs and cosmetic work on Kirksey’s home including extensive roof, wall and floor repairs.
Almost 100 people worked on the home, totaling about 100 volunteer hours, said Camille Christie, AmeriCorps Volunteer Developer and Coordinator at RTCA.
“This was a larger-than-normal project for us, but when we first saw it, Mr. Kirksey was living in the only safe room in the house, and that was the room in the back which was an add-on bedroom, and we just couldn’t say no to this,” Dee Moody, executive director of RTCA, said at the opening.
“One reason he came back from Pittsburg years ago, aside from taking care of his father, was to make a difference in Montgomery. I know he’s made a difference in our life. I know you all have made a difference in his life.”
Heroes at Home projects, in association with Sear’s Corporation, are key initiatives for Rebuilding Together, a “Safe and Healthy Housing” organization that believes community starts at home. They also strive to improve the lives of the military and their families through extensive home rehabilitations.
Exelis Action Corps is a volunteer-service program designed to create large-scale, team and individual volunteer activities and projects to support and engage service members, veterans and their families in local communities. Exelis employees are deployed to the front line of veteran’s needs across the country.
At Kirksey’s home, new plumbing was installed, a chicken coop was torn down and flooring taken up. Concrete was poured, nails hammered, windows cleaned and siding painted.
“All of that is so important,” Moody said. “We at Rebuilding Together want you to know you made a positive difference. A difference in someone’s life. All of our lives.”
Kirksey lived in his home from birth until he was 19 years old and was drafted into the Army to serve in the Korean War. The draft followed a year of studies at Alabama State College. He was sent to special training, and soon after, overseas.
“This has always been home for him,” Ashley Broaden, project developer for RTCA said. “He made it livable to his standards. Our goal at Rebuilding Together is to make sure that homeowners are able to stay in their home, that it is safe for them.
“I’m just really happy to see him move back in. Veterans, they come back home, and want to be sure that where they’re staying, in America, at their homes, is actual home for them. That was our goal, to make that happen for him.”
Kirksey knows that without the groups and volunteers, they would not have stood outside his new home on Sunday.
“God is blessing me right now,” he said. “I want to thank all of you. If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t be out here celebrating. I thank you. You made an old house become a new house. Something you’re proud to live in. It’s a blessing.”
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Information from: Montgomery Advertiser, https://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com
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