LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Victor Smith is a Vietnam War veteran, having served with the 101st Airborne Division. He was in the process of remodeling his DeWitt Township home to make it more accessible, gutting the house in the process.
But with Smith’s age of 77, things were going slowly, and a neighbor complained to the city about the debris involved in the remodeling, which was hanging out in Smith’s yard. “I have 30 days to have to move everything at that time [to avoid a fine]. I have no money coming in to fix everything,” Smith said.
On top of money issues, Smith is also set to have surgery that could put him in a wheelchair. Looking for help, Smith’s daughter took to Facebook–and the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post stepped up to the plate.
“Granger donated the dumpster that’s behind us. We had a group of five guys come in. It was an Army [veteran], Air Force, Marine. They had a 30-yard dumpster filled in about an hour and a half,” said Rebecca Rahn, Auxiliary President at DeWitt VFW Post 671.
Rahn said DeWitt Township has been great to work with, giving the VFW post as much time as necessary to help Smith. Home Depot then reached out to the post, giving them a grant that would pay for the remodeling of Smith’s home.
“Obviously, if he were in a wheelchair, he wouldn’t have access to the restroom and going through to the kitchen and his bedroom area,” Rahn said. “So we would like to expand the bathroom into one of the bedrooms and make it wheelchair-accessible.”
Now, with the help of the grant from Home Depot and the local VFW post, Smith will be able to get around his house without issues. “I really appreciate it. The vets and Granger, all those guys, I really appreciate everything,” Smith said.
The VFW is now seeking further help, as they need assistance from a licensed general contractor and an electrician. If you’re interested, please email our station at newstips@wlns.com.
