On June 23rd, 15 volunteers from Fredrikson & Byron descended on the home of Ed, a veteran living in the Merriam Park-Snell-Lex-Ham neighborhood of St. Paul, to make much-needed repairs.  Ed, age 71, has lived in his St. Paul home for the last 44 years.  Honorably discharged from the U.S. Army National Guard in 1967, Ed is partially disabled with limited mobility in his left knee.  Ed’s disability has made it difficult for him to find work.  Several years ago, Ed saved enough money to hire a handyman to help with repairs he was not able to complete himself.  Unfortunately, the handyman he hired did not finish the necessary repairs correctly.

Thanks to the generous support of the Heroes at Home program through Sears Holdings Corporation, Rebuilding Together Twin Cities was able to partner with the team from Fredrikson & Byron to make repairs to Ed’s home.  Volunteers repaired plumbing, installed a handrail and repaired the stairs in the basement.  They sealed air leaks and made weatherization repairs in the basement and on the front porch, as well as replaced a cracked window and flooring on the front porch.  The team also pitched dirt along the foundation of the house to divert water from getting into the basement and repaired the front cement steps and tuck pointing around foundation.  Finally, the volunteers installed a light fixture, repaired the exterior door to the kitchen and installed smoke and carbon monxide detectors throughout the house.

Ed entertained volunteers throughout the day with his impersonations of famous people and singing.  Expressing his appreciation to Rebuilding Together Twin Cities and the team from Fredrikson & Byron, he said , “It was almost like a miracle having all of these people here to help.”  Thank you to everyone who volunteered that day!