Community Comes Together To Give Veteran New Roof
Posted on Nov 15, 2022
LORAIN, Ohio (WJW) — A local veteran who served our country with honor and is facing a tough situation at home. But now, 93-year-old Peter Avalos is getting a helping hand courtesy of a team of charitable Northeast Ohioans.
Avalos is a proud member of America’s Greatest Generation. After serving as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne, Avalos came home and raised his family in Lorain.
Avalos’s son, Marine Corps Veteran Peter Avalos Jr., said along the way, his father never asked for anything. Over the years, the roof on the Avalos home fell into disrepair and Avalos Jr. said his dad felt terrible about it because he simply could not afford to make repairs.
Avalos Jr. told FOX 8, “He gets a little small pension and Social Security. But it’s really not enough to cover roofing expenses, which are very expensive at this time.”
After being alerted by the veteran’s organization Purple Heart Homes about the situation, Cleveland-based Absolute Roofing and Construction decided to replace the roof, free of charge.
“When I saw the roof, it’s one of the worst ones I’ve had to deal with in 37 years of being in business. This had to be done. No veteran should ever have to live like this,” Absolute Roofing President Chris Kamis said.
As part of an ongoing program coordinated by Purple Heart Homes, Owens Corning donated all of the materials for the new roof.
“If you just look at that roof, you knew he needed it and knowing that the family is not going to have to worry about that burden ever again,” Owens Corning Senior Sales Manager Patrick Main said.
The Avalos family learned about the incredible work being done by Purple Hearts Homes after seeing a FOX 8 News story about a U.S. Navy veteran in North Ridgeville who was facing the same problem with an old, leaky roof.
John Keating, President of the Northeast Ohio Chapter of Purple Heart Homes said “His family asked on his behalf because he would not have asked for himself, so I think when you find humble and modest people like that, you want to help them out.”
Those working on the project said it is their honor to repay a debt decades in the making and to give Avalos and his family some much-needed peace of mind.
“Big hearts, big hearts, I’m grateful for every one of them. From the workers up top to the gentlemen in front, it’s just a great feeling,” Avalos Jr. said.
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