Community comes together to repair Marengo veteran’s home

On a sunny June morning, Marengo resident George Kanaly is outside in his front yard excitedly chatting with neighbors. Behind him, a crew of men tear up his 24-year-old roof and throw the old shingles into a giant trash bin.

“This is unbelievable,” Kanaly, a U.S. Army veteran who served during the Vietnam War, said Thursday.

He is the latest recipient of a brand new roof provided by the Owen Corning National Roof Deployment Project, a program that provides free roofs to veterans. The program is partnered with Apex General Contracting and Habitat for Humanity of McHenry County.

The foundation donated the materials for Kanaly’s roof and Apex General Contracting donated the labor. Over 450 military veterans have received new roofs from the Owens Corning Foundation nationally, so far.

Kanaly said he had been patching holes for the past three years in his aging roof also had hail damage.

"Our biggest challenge, by far, is finding people that need help,”

—   Kal Rihawi of Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity McHenry County also provided other repairs to Kanaly’s home to make it more accessible for him and his wife. Hand railings, a stairlift, updated smoke detectors and a new furnace will be installed.

The furnace was about 25 years old and couldn’t supply air conditioning anymore.

“It’s all about people living in their homes safely and securely,” said Jerry Monica, Habitat for Humanity McHenry County president and CEO. “The repairs are truly repairs for safety. We aren’t a renovation company,”

McHenry County’s Habitat for Humanity is able to fund each project with $20,000 from the Home Depot Foundation. Kanaly’s home is an estimated $25,000 of repairs, said Bill Lee, Habitat for Humanity’s construction manager.

The project was set in motion after Kanaly reached out to Habitat for Humanity. He heard about their services when his friend from Operation Wild Horse, a veteran community organization, said he was given a new roof last year. Habitat for Humanity then contacted Owens Corning Foundation to start the collaboration.

Lee said he hopes the word of their services spread to other veterans in need. His goal is to prevent people from feeling like they can’t afford the repairs to the point the house gets condemned.

“It’s a cascading effect that creates so many more repairs,” Lee said. “I’d rather people come to us before their roofs start leaking.”

Monica said Habitat for Humanity McHenry County has about $400,000 the organization can use to repair homes this year and is eager to use it.

“Our biggest challenge, by far, is finding people that need help,” said Kal Rihawi, home repair coordinator for Habitat for Humanity. “Veterans can be very proud to ask for help. We need them to reach out to us.”

Kanaly said he “wouldn’t have any idea” about the services Owens Corning Foundation and Habitat for Humanity provides if he didn’t have a friend who received their support. Now, he plans on telling his other veteran friends to pass it forward.

“It’s the only thing we ask,” Lee said. “Whether it’s volunteer hours or advocating for Habitat.”