Air Force Veteran Receives New Roof From Team of Organizations and Companies

 By Lauren White, RCS Reporter.

After three years, one hurricane and a worldwide pandemic, Sonia was in desperate need of a new roof.

Since Hurricane Irma hit Brandon, Florida in 2017, Air Force veteran Sonia Marquez has had to place buckets throughout her home to catch leaking water falling from her roof.  The damage became so severe that she was restricted to certain areas of her three-bedroom home.  

When the coronavirus pandemic required people to quarantine, Sonia was only able to use 70 percent of her home due to her roofing problems.  She regularly checked the water levels in her strategically placed buckets and would empty them when needed. 

Sonia was already having a difficult time affording a new roof before the pandemic reached the United States.  Now, she faced even more challenges and uncertainty.  Sonia began worrying about fire hazards and health conditions that could result from mold issues inside her home.  Tiring of the situation she was in, she reached out for help.

Irene Morejon, special projects coordinator for Consumer and Veterans Services of Hillsborough County, answered Sonia’s call and reached out to Veterans Build Coordinator Nitza Rivera with Habitat for Humanity of Hillsborough County.  Patch reported that during their conversation, Irene asked, “We have a veteran who has fallen on some financially hard times and is really in need of a roof right now.  Can you help?”  

Nitza, a retired master sergeant with the United States Army, began assembling a team of people who would help Sonia get a new roof.

The veterans initiative with Habitat for Humanity of Hillsborough County was founded two years ago.  Since then they have developed partnerships with other organizations that would help veterans.  One of the partners is Owens Corning®.  In 2016 the company founded a program called the Roof Deployment Project, which provides service members and their families with free, new roofs.  To date, Owens Corning has provided more than 180 roofs to deserving military families.  

Owens Corning partnered with Gale Force Roofing and Restoration, a local roofing company, to provide the labor for Sonia’s new roof.  After Alex Dewey, the co-owner of Gale Force Roofing, heard about the impact the partnership between the Owens Corning Roof Deployment Project and a roofing company in Columbus, Ohio, had on veterans, he knew he wanted to do the same.  “We've had a long-standing relationship with our manufacturer, Owens Corning, and they had presented this opportunity to me, and I was excited for the opportunity,” Alex explained.

Early one morning, the crew Nitza arranged, arrived at Sonia’s home to rip off her old roof.  By the end of the day a new roof was installed on her home, at no charge to her.  As the team worked, Sonia stood in front of her home with tears in her eyes.  She expressed her gratitude saying, “Thanks to the veterans programs, and Ms. Irene, Ms. Nitza and Mr. Alex from Gale Force Roofing [for] helping sponsor the work on my roof so that now, during COVID-19, I can stay safe at home and use 100 percent of my home.”

Ron Spoor, the chief operating officer of Habitat for Humanity of Hillsborough County, was in full support of the project and even showed up at Sonia’s home as the roof was being put on.  “Nitza joined our staff a few years ago after retiring from the military and she has really led our veterans initiative and introduced a real focus on veterans...She’s connected us with veterans and with partners like Gale Force Roofing and Owens Corning, [and] it’s been a privilege for us to get to know a lot of people,” Ron shared.  Habitat for Humanity of Hillsborough County has installed seven roofs for local service members in just one year.

Sonia is now able to use the entirety of her home thanks to the kindness and dedication of these individuals, organizations and companies, to helping veterans in need.  She has peace of mind and no longer has to place buckets around her home.  

Do you know of someone in the industry who is ‘doing good deeds’ in their community? Help us catch them at it. Send news and information to info@rooferscoffeeshop.com.