Airmen winterize homes with Rebuilding Together

by Steve Berry
375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

11/7/2012 - SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Volunteers from Scott Air Force Base worked in Belleville, Ill., Saturday improving homes and painting the Illinois Center for Autism.

Nearly 40 Airmen joined other volunteers with Rebuilding Together for the nonprofit's Fall Project. The home improvement portion centered on winterization and safety upgrades for eligible low-income homeowners. For winterization, volunteers sealed the area around windows and doors, installed storm doors, wrapped water heaters with insulation blankets, and changed furnace filters. For safety, volunteers installed "grab bars" in bathrooms, installed carbon monoxide detectors and smoke detectors, and also provided each home with a fire extinguisher.

Scott Airmen worked on six separate houses. One of the homes was owned by Marc Joplin, a former Air Force member. Joplin was appreciative of the work being done on his house and said the winterization and safety upgrades were more than he expected.

"It's kind of overwhelming," said Joplin, who planned to help serve lunch to the volunteers.

Senior Master Sgt. Roman Jaye, Air Mobility Command headquarters, was improving the seal around Joplin's front door.

"You need to give back to the community," said Jaye. "I feel it's important."

Two houses down another group of Scott members made similar repairs and cleaned out gutters.

Rebuilding Together Southwest Illinois' executive director, Scott Peery, described the volunteer effort Saturday as the organization's "first-ever neighborhood build," because most of the sites were in the Meadowdale Heights neighborhood, including the Illinois Center for Autism. At the center's new site, volunteers chipped adhesive off walls where chalkboards once hung and painted walls.

Peery said he is "very proud" that the local chapter of Rebuilding Together has a connection with military volunteers, and said Scott members have been "a huge support for many years."

Rebuilding Together is a national nonprofit that provides repairs to homes and community centers, including efficiency and safety upgrades. The organization provides its service to low-income and disabled homeowners at no cost to the homeowner.