Veterans Day: Standing With Thurston County Veterans to Preserve Safe, Healthy Homes

Phyllis (left) with daughter-in-law Tonya with RTTC secretary, treasurer, and volunteer, Pete.

On Veterans Day in Thurston County, we pause to honor the service and ongoing goals of our veteran neighbors, and we recommit to something deeply local: protecting the place where their stories continue — the home. At Rebuilding Together Thurston County (RTTC), we don’t arrive as heroes. We arrive as partners, listening for what matters most and working alongside families, volunteers, and community allies to preserve safety, stability, and dignity.

Phyllis

Phyllis is the matriarch of an Army family whose home hums with three generations, including a new great-granddaughter who has a way of brightening every room. A disabled widow, when Phyllis reached out, she wasn’t asking for a rescue; she was mapping out how to restore her home to a safe and livable place for her family.

With monetary support from The Home Depot and volunteers from The Home Depot's foundation, Team Depot, and RTTC, we moved through the home with her, paying attention to the everyday details that add up to peace of mind: fresh paint that protects and brightens, sturdy fencing that keeps the yard secure, safe electrical systems that quiet worry, doors that open and close without a struggle. The tub became a low-threshold, easy-to-enter space; ramps replaced uncertainty at the threshold.

What changed wasn’t just a list of repairs — it was rhythm. Family life could flow again. Phyllis can age in place, surrounded by the people and moments that give her home its meaning.

Eddie

Eddie's access to the outside world before his wheelchair ramp.

Across the county in Rochester, Eddie — a veteran who lost a leg due to medical complications — was using two narrow boards to get his wheelchair in and out of the house. The method worked, until it didn’t; it demanded focus and strength and carried real risk with every trip.

With USDA grant support, volunteers from SCJ Alliance and the First United Methodist Church Men’s Group built a solid ramp that meets Eddie where he is today and gives him safe, independent access to his home and community.

Eddie's new ramp. Safe and secure at last.

While they were there, volunteers cleaned gutters, trimmed back an overgrown landscape, and secured a chicken coop that had been inviting predators.

Olympic Plumbing Technology donated and installed a new hot water tank so the household could count on hot water again, and Miracle Method converted the bathtub to make daily routines simpler and safer.

Cathy poses with technicians from Olympic Plumbing Technology: Corbin (left), Thomas, and Aaron.

The shift for Eddie and his significant other, Dottie, is easy to feel: hot showers instead of sponge baths, a front door that welcomes rather than worries, a coop that keeps the eggs safe for breakfast tomorrow. It’s independence, one everyday task at a time.

Mark

Kitchen and dining room holes in Mark's home.

Not far away, Mark — a veteran with mobility challenges — had started limiting time in parts of his home. The deck had become treacherous, the kitchen floor had soft spots, and even the cabinets felt uncertain. When a home starts to feel like a maze of “be carefuls,” it’s exhausting; it narrows a day.

RTTC coordinated repairs to replace the failing deck with a safe ramp, restored sturdy flooring, secured sagging cabinets, and addressed the other small hazards that add up to big stress.

When the work was done, volunteers from Lacey Rotary applied the final touch that matched Mark’s personality: a University of Washington purple paint on the exterior that announced pride right from the curb.

What changed wasn’t just access; it was the feeling of welcome. Friends come over again. The caregiver moves comfortably through the kitchen. The house looks and lives like the place Mark envisioned when he first put down roots.

Different Homes, But A Similar Story

These are three different houses and three different stories, but the through line is familiar to anyone who has worn a uniform or loved someone who has: service is a chapter, not the whole book.

After service, life continues — meals together, grandkids, a favorite team’s colors, a morning routine that benefits from a hot shower and a smooth, safe exit to the day. Veterans carry skills and grit into their civilian lives; our role is to make sure the home supports those strengths rather than getting in their way.

In practical terms, that can look like a wheelchair ramp that meets code and meets the moment, accessibility modifications that preserve independence, repairs that stop small problems from spiraling, and upgrades that reduce daily worry. In human terms, it looks like a grandmother who gets to stay in the home she loves, a veteran who rolls out the door without a second thought, a host who throws the door open to friends.

Working at Phyllis' place.

We do this with many hands. Veterans and their families set the goals; neighbors, businesses, faith communities, and public partners bring resources and resolve. The Home Depot Team, SCJ Alliance, the First United Methodist Church Men’s Group, Olympic Plumbing Technology, Miracle Method, and Lacey Rotary — each partner stepped into a role that fit their strengths, and that’s why the outcomes endure. The work is local and hands-on, but its ripple is wide: safer homes reduce falls and injuries, lower stress for caregivers, preserve housing stability, and keep community ties intact.

That’s why, on Veterans Day and every day, RTTC focuses on the essentials — ramps, grab bars, flooring, electrical safety, reliable hot water, weatherproofing — because the small things, done right and done together, change how a day unfolds.

If you’re reading this as a veteran, a military family member, we see the service you’ve given and the life you’re building. If you’re a volunteer or business looking to stand with veterans in Thurston County, bring your skills and your team; there’s a project where your effort becomes someone’s peace of mind.

And if you’d like to make a gift, know that your support preserves safe, accessible homes for veteran households across our community.

This is what Veterans Day looks like in Thurston County: acts of partnership that start at the front door and carry into the week ahead. Together, we’re not just fixing what’s broken; we’re protecting what’s working — pride, independence, and the simple freedom to move through one’s own home with ease.

The Team Depot Foundation volunteer crew who helped Phyllis with her home.