An elderly woman can now sleep peacefully in her home, under a new roof thanks to Habitat for Humanity of Fannin and Gilmer Counties and other contributers.
Virginia Card and her late husband worked hard to pay for their home in 1985.
After her husband’s passing in 2013, Card said, “It’s been a struggle to make ends meet.”
Nick Black, owner of Semper Fi Roofing and Restoration, saw this struggle when he noticed a tarp lying across the roof of Card’s home.
From there, everything fell into place.
At the time, Black was visiting his friend, Kristen Young, who is neighbors with Card.
He decided to talk with Card where he learned the tarp had been there for a while, and when it rains, Card places buckets inside the house to catch the water.
Black later went to Home Depot in Blue Ridge to buy a tarp large enough to cover the entire roof, but he wanted to do more.
Young is the daughter of habitat Board of Directors President Debbie Peterson, and Young communicated the issue with Peterson.
Peterson said habitat has a Helping Hands program, but it typically requires that projects be paid back.
“The only way we could do it was to reach out to our supporters and ask if they would donate to this cause,” she said.
“Our supporters, they kind of went above and beyond,” Chris Hall, habitat executive director said. “Facebook and PayPal and checks came rolling into the office, anywhere from 20 bucks to 2,000 dollar donations.”
Once examining the house, contributers decided Card needed not just a roof, but also, gutters, insulation and sheet rock work.
“Home Depot stepped up,” Hall said. “Holly Chandler is a rock star over there.”
Home Depot of Blue Ridge donated sheet rock, insulation and a blower, Hall said.
Semper Fi Roofing and Restoration provided the labor.
Adding to the project, Hall said habitat will be replacing her bathtub and subfloor.
With the help of habitat, Semper Fi Roofing and Restoration, habitat supporters and Home Depot, Card now has a dry, warm place to rest comfortably in.