Helping Veterans at Home

“It’s amazing how you spend time giving to others, and then, when you don’t expect it, it comes back to you.”

So observed Clarence W., a Veteran of the US Army and retired officer of the US Capitol Police, the esteemed force charged with protecting federal lawmakers. Clarence, 78, made his comments on a bright fall morning as he addressed a group of volunteers who had assembled in front of his suburban home in Northern Virginia.

Their mission: to give back to a man who had given so much to his country.

That mission is the driving force behind Navy Federal Credit Union’s longstanding partnership with Rebuilding Together, the leading national nonprofit repairing the homes of people in need and revitalizing communities. This year, Navy Federal again partnered with the organization’s Veterans at Home program, which supports military families.

Clarence, who served as an Army lab technician for three years during the 1960s, was one of two of this year’s beneficiaries. As such, more than a dozen Navy Federal volunteers traveled to his home in Herndon, Va. to tackle a long list of odd jobs to improve safety for Clarence and his wife and children.

Together, they cleared and mulched an overgrown vegetable garden and removed bulk trash from the backyard. They mounted smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, brought electrical outlets up to code, applied non-skid strips to stairsteps and installed handrails, grab bars and even a couple of “comfort height” toilets.

The quick work overjoyed Clarence, who had for years been unable to complete the projects due to physical and financial constraints. “These repairs will make it easier for my family and me to go about our daily lives and live safely in our home, and it will also serve our neighborhood and community,” he said. This means he can start his garden fresh next year with a new crop of tomatoes, okra, spinach, basil and lemongrass, and focus on regular exercise and other pressing projects at home.

One of Many Veteran Beneficiaries

Clarence was not the partnership’s only happy Veteran beneficiary this fall.

A few days prior, Navy Federal and Rebuilding Together volunteers gathered at the home of Lalita H., a woman in her 80s whose late husband spent a quarter century in the US Air Force, serving in such far-flung locales as Turkey and South Korea. At Lalita’s townhome, volunteers ticked off a task list that included rebuilding a damaged deck, securing railings and steps, installing door pulls and knobs, painting and landscaping. A new sliding glass door is also slated for installation.

“We’re honored to improve the quality of life for Veteran families through this partnership,” declared Sun Bayless, Navy Federal’s Senior Vice President of Real Estate Lending Innovation, who participated in the volunteer event. “Navy Federal’s mission is to help and serve those who have served our country,” and events such as these are an “incredible opportunity” to advance that mission through volunteerism.

Timothy Brown, a Veteran and Navy Federal team member who spent his day at Clarence's home, echoed the point. “Navy Federal speaks a lot about being service-oriented, and unlike many other companies, they actually back it up.”

Many of the nation’s 18 million Veterans are in need of such support.

More than 1.5 million live below the federal poverty level, and others face accessibility challenges at home, sometimes due to disabilities connected with their military service. Home repairs and modifications not only improve these homeowners’ physical safety but have also been shown to lower utility bills and other expenses, strengthen financial security and improve mental health.

Longstanding Partnership

Navy Federal has been working with Rebuilding Together to support Veterans for two decades. The first joint project took place in 2000 on National Rebuilding Day—a Saturday in April when volunteers across the nation come together to repair homes of those in need, and the partnership has supported several projects a year ever since.

Last year, the partnership supported William J., 90, a Veteran whose red-brick duplex had fallen into some disrepair but who continues to safely “age in place” there today, thanks to the groups’ home repair work. Also among last year’s recipients were a retired US Marine in Atlanta and a disabled Veteran in Dallas.

Patti Klein, executive director of the Rebuilding Together affiliate in Arlington, Fairfax and Falls Church, says the partnership reflects a shared commitment to strength, safety and security. “We’re thrilled to partner once again with Navy Federal Credit Union on these projects,” she said at Clarence’s home. “Navy Federal team members always show up eager to put their skills to work on behalf of the military community.”

All told, some 1,500 Navy Federal volunteers have contributed more than 10,000 hours to 32 projects in Northern Virginia alone, including 6 homeowners and 26 nonprofit organizations, several of which—like the USO—serve military families.

Much of the work takes place during workdays, and many Navy Federal staff, like Brown, use paid leave to participate. Indeed, Navy Federal provides employees 8 hours of paid volunteer leave annually. Last year, that benefit translated into more than 66,000 volunteer hours valued at more than $1 million.

The work has had a “huge impact” in military communities, Klein said—and gives back to those who have given so much to their country, often when they least expect it. It “makes a real difference,” Clarence said.