United under one roof

By Hannah Ford. 

Local roofers come together to restore a veteran’s roof.  

In an honorable act of kindness, AmeriPro Roofing and Owens Corning joined together to give back to a deserving veteran and member of the Fremont County community in Colorado, John Lemons. Upkeep of a home can be a daunting task, especially in an area with severe winds, like John experiences, which is why AmeriPro provided this retired veteran with a free roof installation. In an interview with Canon City Daily Record he shared that the shingles on his roof would wave goodbye to him on days that were especially windy. 

John was an Air Force Veteran who served from 1967 to 1971 as a mail courier in the United States and outside of Saigon (currently known as Ho Chi Minh City) Vietnam during the Vietnam War. After his service, John earned a degree in journalism and began a job at the Daily Record reporting local news in Fremont County. He retired and began working at the Penrose VFW, saying, “Our motto is, ‘Veterans helping veterans’… Everybody helping everybody out is important.” 

This motto is something that resonated with Jeremy Halfacre, the AmeriPro branch manager of Colorado Springs, he shared about his desire to help veterans, saying, “I come from a family of veterans…It’s very important to me to give back to those who have served our country, in any capacity in the military.” 

This is just what AmeriPro aimed to do through their new partnership with, the Owens Corning Roof Deployment Program. Owens Corning partners with hundreds of roofing organizations to donate materials if they donate their services, and since 2016 has helped over 500 veterans.  

With the goal of giving back to their community in mind, AmeriPro began an open application to find a veteran in need. The hunt to find the perfect candidate was an ambitious task for Larry Roybal, a sales representative for AmeriPro and 18-year resident of Florence. He spent many days searching the Penrose VFW and Florence Senior Community Center until one veteran began to stand out.  

After the nominations for the roof installation was narrowed down to 18 applicants, a panel of board members began a screening process. John was an exceptional nominee who distinguished himself through his interviews and showed the greatest need for a roof replacement.  

John has a rustic and cozy farmhouse, but “it can be hard to keep up with stuff financially – the wind out here is horrific. It’s a relief to have a new roof,” he said. The crew at AmeriPro all agree that people deserve a home that is safe and dry, especially veterans who have sacrificed so much already. Jeremy shared, “We’re going to restore this house back the way it was before.” 

John is a generous and dedicated veteran who looks forward to having a new roof. Owens Corning and AmeriPro have banded together to help a very deserving person and will continue to expand their program to help more veterans in need.  

Image source: Canon City Daily Record