Making change across communities one roof at a time

By Emma Peterson.  

Everyone deserves to have a roof over their heads. In these four stories, roofing companies and organizations make that a reality for people in their community. 

A new roof is a huge investment, and one that cannot be pushed aside or ignored. But it is unfortunately one that is out of reach for many people. These stories show the power of the roofing industry to help their community stay safe and sound. 

Photo source: Fox 5 Atlanta 

1 - About Face Detroit and Barbara Jackson 

Barbara has been fighting with her roof for years, telling CBS Detroit, “When it rained, the water came in my room upstairs. It comes in the kitchen. It comes a little bit down the steps in the hallway, in the bathroom upstairs, because it's like three bathrooms in there.” She has been trying to repair it for years, but the $14,000 cost was always out of reach for her. But a new nonprofit, called About Face Detroit, has come to reinforce Barbara in her battle against the leaks.  

Founded by Alice James, they are funded through grants and donations and strive to help community members pay for home repairs. Barbara’s roof is their first project, and Alice explained that “virtually everything needs to be replaced in this house but right now, in phase one of the project, we're addressing the roof because the roof has caused the owner of the home so much heartache.”  

Photo source: CBS Detroit 

2 – Aspen Contracting and Alice Flemister 

Through Aspen Contracting’s Covers 4 Other award, Alice has one less stressor. Alice is currently fighting stage 4 cancer which forced her to retire from the Atlanta Police Department with 25 years of service to her community. Even with her personal challenges, Alice still prioritizes helping others. Her sister knew her roof needed repairs and that Alice didn’t have the resources for it, so she nominated her for the award.  

Alice is the perfect awardee for the nationwide award, as Pat Nussbeck, the president and CEO of Aspen, explained to Fox 5 Atlanta,"There are many people out there who have made a positive impact in the community by serving our country, helping others in need, first responders and even those who may have experienced a hardship. Giving back is a part of our core values at Aspen and this program is a way for us to do that in the communities that we work in.” Their award program has existed for over eight years and has helped more than 70 families! 

3 - Truman-Heritage Habitat for Humanity and Tim Tevis 

Contractor Matthew Macon is building a new roof for Tim, who served for three years in the U.S. Air Force during Desert Storm and lost his leg to an infection. Tim explained to Eyewitness News that “there are a lot of veterans out there who need stuff like this, that need help,” but it can be hard to ask and find that help. Luckily, he got the help he needed.  

Matthew is a partner with JB Contracting and Storm Renovations of America that is installing the veteran’s new roof. This project was made possible through partnerships with Truman-Heritage Habitat for Humanity, which helps around 12 veterans with home repairs each year, and the Owens Corning National Roof Deployment Project, which has donated new roofs to over 450 veterans in the last seven years. This project was especially important to Matthew. He explained, “There’s a good chance this man helped to support my dad [who also served during Desert Storm]. This is a pretty minimal thing to give back to someone who very potentially backed up my father at war.”  

In addition to the roof, his house was made more accessible. Crews installed a ramp by the door and renovated his bathroom. Matthew was just thankful to be able to help and find a way to say thank you to those who serve. He shared, “From the bottom of my heart I would absolutely say thank you to every veteran that has stepped up and everything that they’ve done to support and defend this country.” 

Photo source: Eyewitness News 

4 - Story Roofing and Jonathan Smith  

Veteran Jonathan wanted to make sure his family had a safe roof over their heads, he told Up North Live ABC, “We tried to repair it ourselves, just with the money that we've had in the materials that we've had, but to no avail. It seems to have just been getting worse every year.”  

In a last attempt to find a solution to the leaking roof, his mom Roxanne wrote to the Owens Corning Roof Deployment Project for help. Story Roofing answered their call with materials provided by the Owens Corning Foundation. Jonathan explained that their work “is a God send. This is awesome.” Story Roofing’s General Manager David Doyle expressed that they were just excited to be able to “come out and help a veteran and do something
good for somebody that did good for us.”  

Photo source: Up North Live ABC