Volunteer workers replace the roof on the East End home of Melvin Washington Sr. (Photo by Jay Paul)
After several days of work by volunteers, Melvin Washington Sr. got a chance to admire his new roof on Feb. 15. Multiple organizations collaborated to make repairs to his East End Richmond home, which included replacing the roof, siding and much of the outdoor trim on the house. The Marine Corps veteran was selected by the nonprofit Purple Heart Homes Inc., which coordinated with the national Owens Corning Roof Deployment Project, and labor was provided by Walter D. Witt Roofing, based in Chester.
“My initial contact with Mr. Washington was in November of last year,” says Chris Witt, owner of Walter D. Witt Roofing. “From approval to the finished product, the process can take a couple of months. I went to check out his property, and I saw that he needed more than just a roof.”
After his return to Richmond following the Vietnam War, Washington was shot during an armed robbery and paralyzed from the waist down. “After years of [Washington] living alone, his home needed a lot of work,” says Layn Tallent, a representative of Purple Heart Homes. “This project displays what happens when various partners come together.”
Financial contributions also came from The Independence Fund, a nonprofit dedicated to helping wounded veterans. The shingles for the roof were provided by Owens Corning, the lumber for trim work was donated by ABC Supply Co. Inc., and the gutters came from Ted Lansing Corporation.
Witt says Washington was a satisfied customer. “He was very thankful,” he says. “He was just a genuine, honest, good human being, and he was so gracious and thankful.”
