Volunteers Give Metro Veteran A $5,000 Home Renovation

An aging metro veteran received a home makeover courtesy of complete strangers.

Larry McCalip’s home of more than four decades was falling into disrepair and he could not do much about it on a limited income.

An orange whirlwind of volunteers transformed the veteran's home with paint, cabinets and flooring.

About 25 Home Depot volunteers from the metro, as well as workers from Ada and Lawton, partnered with Rebuilding Together OKC to renovate it.

“It feels wonderful, it's a blessing really,” said McCalip.

McCalip has lived in the home for 43 years and said he could not keep up with repairs due to his age and health.

“Oh just thankfulness,” McCalip told News 9. “It's something I couldn't do myself. I just don't get around good.”

The 79-year-old signed up for the Air National Guard in 1954 and served eight years. Now, strangers have served him through kindness and hard work.

“Our mission is just to make sure every veteran has a safe place to call home, safe, warm, dry,” said Mitch Rusk with The Home Depot.

The home was nearly dilapidated with cabinets that were falling apart, holes in the floors and a restroom that was not ADA-compliant.

McCalip received a new kitchen, new bathroom and new floors that totaled $5,000.

“It's hard for them to believe that anybody would even do it to start with and then getting to see the whole process, getting to meet them, getting to know them and just seeing how appreciative they are,” Rusk explained.

Volunteers also built a wooden ramp for Larry, because getting up and down his front porch was dangerous.

“I couldn't get up and down the steps. I fell a couple of times and couldn't hardly get up,” McCalip said. “They've done a wonderful job, everything that they've done, real good.”

The project is part of The Home Depot's ongoing efforts to improve the lives of military veterans. Since 2011, Home Depot volunteers have transformed more than 25,000 homes for veterans.

Rebuilding Together is a non-profit organization that rebuilds homes for low-income senior citizens in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area.

Since 1992, Rebuilding Together OKC has repaired more than 3,000 homes with the help of 70,000 volunteers.

If you or someone you know could benefit from the non-profit’s help, visit www.rebuildingtogetherokc.org