Retirement, a safe home, and time to make a difference
It is inspiring to see a senior home repair project be a group event. Impressive things can happen when people and organizations come together. This happened for a deserving retiree from the United States Postal Service recently.
Eight volunteers from Truist and our construction team – mostly volunteers themselves – completed many home repair projects for Ms. D. She is a long-time resident of DeKalb County.
The volunteer team was led by Jeffrey Soren, a past Habitat Board Member. It was wonderful to welcome him back for the day. Funding for the project was provided for by Truist, Lowes, and the Claire Grant Foundation.
Ms. D. is from Atlanta. She grew up in the Summerhill neighborhood. Many years ago, a turbulent marriage drove her to Philadelphia with her child. Ms. D. eventually returned to Georgia. Her career at the United States Post Service allowed her to buy the home she still lives in; in a DeKalb County neighborhood.
After retirement from the USPS, Ms. D. completed a life-long dream. She went back to school and graduated from college. Ms. D. now holds a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Georgia State University! In fact, she just graduated last month. Her goal is to partner with AARP to support seniors.
“I want to help local senior citizen groups by teaching them about fraudulent scams that target seniors.”
The Truist team and the Habitat for Humanity – DeKalb construction team were able to get many projects done for Ms. D. that she was not able to do herself. Projects like securing her front door, securing or replacing windows that were leaking, repairing siding, and repairing an unsafe deck.
HFHD is committed to helping seniors in our community age in place. This improves quality of life, including physical and mental health. Aging in place also safeguards seniors from the bacterial and viral risks that can be found in senior living facilities, reducing their chance of contracting a serious illness.
This active retiree and new grandmother did not have time to worry about the safety of her living conditions. Now, due to a small loan with HFHD and funding from our supporters, Ms. D. will be safe. We at HFHD look forward to seeing the difference Ms. D. makes in our community.
