Rebuilding Houston Together comes to rescue of 97-year-old veteran

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The Super Bowl is still months away but the effort to make the city ready for the big game is well under way. And for one veteran the work is hitting home, literally.

The home of a 97-year-old veteran looks it looks good, thanks to an army of volunteers and help from Rebuilding Together Houston.

Sheila Adkins knew her grandfather's home needed repairs but she was not able to fix the place up on her own, so she called Rebuilding Together Houston.

"Today Houston is blessing is my grandfather," she said.

Julie Mintzer of Rebuilding Houston Together explained, "We work with a lot of organizations that tie us to the veteran community and this particular veteran is a special guy. He has been awarded four Bronze Stars, he served the country in World War II, he is the foundation of this neighborhood."

The veteran being helped is 97-year-old Mack Bailey. Using funds and volunteers from Home Depot, Rebuilding Together Houston is making the home livable again.

It needed a lot, from a new roof to electrical work inside and even remodeling the bathroom to make it more accessible.

Adkins did not know when she reached out to Rebuilding Together Houston that the agency had a goal of fixing 500 homes before the Super Bowl. But she's glad this home made the list.

She said, "When the guys said they were going to do this, I said this is great. It's a blessing. It is something that put a smile on his face."

Rebuilding Together Houston is looking for volunteers to help complete their goal of repairing those 500 homes. If you want to help out, get in touch with them via rebuildinghouston.org.