Demolition crew needed, Navy Veteran Widow, start of drywall demolition

7608 North 59th Lane,Glendale AZ 85301

27 February, 2021

Description

Navy Veterans Widow needs neighbors and community support Here we Go, We are entering the DEMOLITION PHASE on February 27 PLEASE DRESS APPROPERLY for heavey dirty and somewhat dangerious work...! Here is our story: By Steve Stockmar Twitter: @stevestockmar The Silva family knew something wasn’t quite right next door. # When their elderly neighbors, next door on 59th Lane in Glendale, needed help, the Silvas’ kids would head over, especially those rough times when Phillip, the gentleman next door, had fallen, and his wife, Jean, couldn’t help him up. The Glendale Independent is withholding the couple’s last name for privacy. The smell of the neighbors’ home was bad enough from the outside. “You could smell it at our house on windy days,” Javier Silva, the boys’ dad, said. On the inside, meanwhile, was hoarding and neglect gone horribly wrong. When Phillip passed away at home Jan. 13 after a long illness, Jean was left to mourn the loss of her husband, and to deal with the seemingly impossible task of rehabilitating the home. With Phillip being a Navy veteran, Operation Enduring Gratitude was among the first agencies on site. The nonprofit, launched in 2014 by founder Charlie Ellis, comes to the aid of veterans and their families in need. In its first year, Operation Enduring Gratitude installed one wheelchair ramp in a house for a veteran. But that was only the beginning. One year saw the agency install 24 wheelchair ramps, including 11 ramps in three different cities supporting three differant nonprofits, three contracting companies, and 75 volunteers -- all in one day. Other times, the need is even bigger. In 2019, Operation Enduring Gratitude rebuilt two entire homes simultaneously; one in Glendale and the other in Apache Junction, in less than two months. The agency has rebuilt eight houses in all, including one that burned nearly to the ground, where the veteran still lived inside and the only electricity came from an extension cord over a fence. The 1,449-square-foot Glendale home in January is one of Operation Enduring Gratitude’s extreme house makeover projects. The Humane Society would eventually take 45 cats from Jean’s home. There was spoiled food strewn throughout, plus roach, and termite infestations. In need of new walls, ceilings, new air conditioning, new plumbing, and new electricity, the house would be condemned and deemed unsafe for living. “We don’t know how they survived that long,” Virginia Silva said. When Mr. Ellis first walked through and surveyed the site, his message was simple even if the project itself wasn’t. “We said ‘Let’s mobilize,’” he said. Help also came from Angels On Patrol, a community agency filled with volunteer police officers. “When we first got in, you could walk around but you could not walk without walking on stuff,” said officer Jason Wiechmann, who will mark 20 years serving with the Glendale Police Department this May. While work goes on inside the home (crews filled one dumpster on their first workday alone), the Silvas have taken in Jean to give her a place to stay until her home can be finished. She has no kids and no siblings. Mr. Ellis estimates the entire process could run as high as $150,000. So begins the process of lining up volunteers, a work schedule, and donations for all the supplies that are needed. It’s doubtful the homeowner will have enough to cover the entire cost. Operation Enduring Gratitude has performed services all over Arizona, from Buckeye to Apache Junction, as well as providing appliances for a Navajo Code Talker on Reservation land. “There is no ‘typical’,” Mr. Ellis sums up of the usual needs he fills for veterans and their families. He says the greatest needs the agency has to make these rescue missions possible are “time, talent, and treasure” from the community. “We’ve gotten really good at squeezing pounds out of pennies,” he adds. In the case of Jean, neighbors can already see a difference, less than two weeks after she lost her husband and had to vacate from her home while facing a massive rehabilitation. “Her face has changed. She went and got her hair shampooed and blow-dried,” Ms. Silva said. “Surprisingly when they took the cats, I thought it was going to be a big issue.” The team of volunteers will continue its work to get Jean back on track. “She’s realizing that it’s a new chapter in her life now with cleaning this out,” Mr. Wiechmann said. “She’s like, ‘It’s time to move forward.’ And I’m hoping it brings her closure and she’s able to start moving forward.” To support Operation Enduring Gratitude through time or donations, with this current house makeover or future missions, visit the agency on Facebook at @VeteranExtremeHomeMakeOver. Or, #OperationEnduringGratitude #OEG #Arizona #Veteranshelpingveterans #TeamWorkGetsItDone Donation Deadline Saturday, February 27, 2021 Project Location 7608 N 59th Ln Glendale, Glendale, Arizona 85301