Wednesday, May 8, 2024
RENO — At first, Tammy Rezabek didn’t think her life would change much after her husband got sick, but that was not the case.
Her husband, Lewis, was diagnosed with cancer last fall, and Rezabek’s life became hectic. First of all, she got sick with bronchitis and had to reschedule Christmas celebrations with their kids. After the holidays, she went back to work, but because of her husband’s illness, she had to drive him to get treatment in the afternoons. She would leave her job in Lake Worth to pick him up at her home in Reno, take him to Fort Worth, then go back to work while he received treatment, and leave work to pick him up when he finished before heading home.
On top of managing illnesses, Rezabek’s roof caved in around the end of November, which is one of the reasons she applied for help from Servolution Network. Rezabek also said her air conditioning has been out for about two years, and she had made do with window units and fans.
Rezabek has known about Servolution ever since she worked for the Azle Area Chamber of Commerce before the COVID-19 pandemic. Asking for help from Servolution, people she knew, was difficult for Rezabek, but she figured “all they can do is say no.” To her surprise, her home was first on the list for this year’s Spring Blitz.
Servolution volunteers’ tasks at Rezabek’s home during the April 12-13 blitz included installing a new roof, heating/ventilation/air conditioning unit, a new light ballast in the bathroom and a new oven and dishwasher as well as underpinning, ceiling repair in the bedroom, building new back steps, sealing the front porch and cleaning up inside and out of her home.
“My husband (Lewis) is a veteran, and he has throat cancer, and I was just like, we can't do it,” Rezabek said. “We're using all of our savings. He just started disability, so we're using all our savings to pay bills . . . I'm working full time, but still, I don't make enough to pay all the bills.”
While she has been involved with Servolution before, Rezabek has never volunteered for one of the blitzes, but she hopes to pay it forward in the future. Having the help of Servolution made her feel “a little overwhelmed, but very blessed, very grateful.”
Representatives from the organization Vets Forever, which aims to help veterans access and manage their disability benefits, helped the Rezabeks out by volunteering during the blitz. When Vets Forever marketing and public relations manager Holly Griffeth was invited to serve, she didn’t hesitate.
“It's amazing,” Griffeth said. “It just shows you if you just kind of ask people, they can come together (for) one day, maybe two.”
She added, “You don't always have to give money. Time is actually more valuable sometimes than your money.”
Griffeth said blitz volunteers from Vets Forever had asked to work on a veteran’s home, and so she and Vets Forever CEO and co-founder Trinidad Aguirre found themselves at Marine veteran Lewis Rezabek’s house. Aguirre said the Vets Forever team wants to focus on giving back to the community. He also enjoyed being able to be of service during the blitz.
“My skill sets in the military kind of translate into this home repair,” Aguirre said. “I was an electrician and did a lot of demo work. And it's just good to put those skills to use, so I’m not in front of a monitor. I'm out using what I learned and applying them to help other vets in need.”
—Madelyn Edwards
Trouble in paradise
AZLE — Walking into Suzanne Pritchard’s backyard brings to mind any countless number of Jimmy Buffett songs. A sandy volleyball pit, tiki-bar, and Snoop Dogg figurines all contribute to a real island feel. While it had been a popular place for Azle kids to hang out and play volleyball over the years, it had come to need some serious repairs. Pritchard formerly ran Keepsake Mums for 30 years but is now going to school to become a radiology technician.
“Our roof had a beam that was breaking, and it was leaking like a waterfall feature for about 10 years,” Pritchard said. “It just so happened that someone on Facebook was like, ‘if you could have anything and didn’t have money for it (comment what it would be)’ and I said ‘sure, why not’ and then somebody answered me and said you need to contact Servolution Network and I said ‘sure, why not’ and after I sent in the info, I started getting texts saying send me video. I said, ‘you know what I’m not doing all that, I’m done.’ Then they happened to call, and they recognized the name of my business, and they knew where I was, so they showed up. When they showed up it turned out their family comes and plays volleyball in my backyard. His daughter is best friends with my granddaughter. They actually spend tons of time together.”
When Pritchard first heard she might be able to get her home repaired during a Good Neighbors Blitz, she was skeptical. Then she learned she already knew Servolution Network’s director, Jason Malewiski, through his daughter who had previously come to play volleyball at her house.
Pritchard’s own children attended Azle ISD in the past and with her backyard being a veritable beach, it was always a popular spot for local kids. With help from Good Neighbors, she is excited to begin allowing kids to safely utilize the space again.
“It’s overwhelming. It’s awesome. I feel quite humbled,” Pritchard said. “Even in the back we have trees that are falling apart and we have a lot of kids that come here — about 70 that come and play volleyball during the summer. Just the safety for them because we don’t have insurance, they won’t insure this house, and I would open it up to everybody, but we can’t because if somebody gets hurt that’s the end of that. We feed them and make sure they have water, and they stay until 3 o’clock in the morning.”
— Zach Freeman
Springtown widow finds needed home repairs, peace of mind through Servolution Blitz
SPRINGTOWN — Widow and single mom Patricia Hurst didn’t need to do any work while Servolution Network volunteers cleaned up and made repairs to her home, but that didn’t feel right to her.
“They keep telling me to sit down, you don't need to be doing anything, but I just can't do it,” Hurst said.
Servolution’s Spring Blitz, which organizes people to make home repairs for those in need, took place earlier this month and included Hurst’s home in Springtown. Volunteers, including children, worked on cleanup and repairs inside and outside her house April 12-13. Hurst needed a new roof and deck, flooring, plumbing and yard cleanup.
Since her husband died just before Christmas in 2022, Hurst has had to raise her 11-year-old son on her own.
“I had to get two jobs to pay the bills,” she said. “My house was falling apart, so I really needed some work done.”
At first, Hurst said she was too prideful to ask for help from Servolution but changed her mind after falling through her floor. Her roof wasn’t in good shape either; a whole pan filled with water during a recent rainstorm before the repairs.
“The ceiling was fixing to fall through,” Hurst said. “Just stuff that I don't make enough money to pay for. Being a single mom, it's really hard.”
Getting the work done by Servolution made Hurst feel grateful, like the weight of worry being lifted from her shoulders.
“I know I was stressing because I couldn't have enough time because I'm working so much trying to take care of my child,” she said.
Hurst grinned when asked about the seventh and eighth graders from Azle Christian School helping out at her home.
“They keep telling me how much fun they're having,” she said. “They're all just having fun and helping each other out. They're all just pitching in. They feel good because I think they feel like we're doing the service for this person that really needs help, and I think they feel good about it. I mean, that's how I feel when I do something for somebody.”
Hurst wasn’t wrong in her assessment of the students’ attitudes.
“I thought it's a great experience,” seventh grader Abigail Smith said. “I kind of wish we did it more than just twice a year.”
Seventh grader Landon McGuirk also appreciated being part of the work and was proud of his school for joining the volunteer event.
“Having all of us come together, it's beautiful,” Landon said.
According to Abigail and Landon, Azle Christian School students moved furniture out of the way, pulled up carpet and tile to make way for new flooring, and cleaned up the yard.
“I definitely learned my own strength today of being able to lift heavier things,” Abigail said.
Abigail’s favorite part of the day was seeing Hurst react to the work they were doing.
“She's smiling so much because we're getting to help her home and relieve that stress off of her of having to fix the carpet or having to take down some of the cabinets,” she said.
This was Abigail’s and Landon’s first year participating in Servolution’s Blitz, and they said it opened their eyes to the needs of people in their community, that having a nice, well-functioning home isn’t a given. The seventh graders also agreed that having a good team, made up of their peers and adults, was essential during the blitz.
“Not one person could do this alone,” Landon said.
—Madelyn Edwards
Here’s to you, Mrs. Robinson
AZLE — Azle’s own mayor, Alan Brundrett, led the charge on fixing up The Servolution Network’s 300th house during the 15th Good Neighbors Spring Blitz April 12-13. In total, Servolution Network has tended to 316 houses since the project began. Linda Robinson, an 80-year-old resident of Castle Hills in Azle, has had a hard time keeping up with repairs in her home of 30 years. The single retired nurse became emotional and choked up speaking about the help offered to her by Servolution organizers and volunteers.
“I have a neighbor over here that y’all helped, Vic Moore, he’s a good friend,” Robinson said. “He kind of informed me what y’all do and everything. Then I made the application. I didn’t really know if I’d get accepted or not but I’m thankful to God that I am. I do appreciate everything that y’all are doing. It’s such a blessing. In tears. I’m old and I can’t work anymore. I worked all my life. I’ve never been on assistance of any kind, any kind of help. I’ve never had anybody help me ever. So, I’m not used to it. It was very much a blessing. Y’all are just like angels that descended from heaven.”
Volunteers installed a new roof, soffit and fascia, and made repairs to a back fence, gutters, ceiling, flooring, lights and cabinets. Robinson recalled being pleasantly surprised when individuals even showed up to pressure wash her house in the rain the day prior and sees the repairs as instrumental in improving her quality of life going forward.
“There was the roof and the gutters and there’s just no way I could afford to have the roof put on and new gutters and just really everything, everything, everything,” Robinson said. “With the fence, the privacy fence in the back, I was having an issue and anyway that will help me to get out in the yard a little bit more because I can’t do much anymore like I used to, but I used to have a lot of flowers. I loved digging in the dirt.”
Robinson was one of 13 blitz-ees over the age of 65 that day. Good Neighbors Blitzes are a biannual event with the next one scheduled for October 11-12.
“My son lives in Azle and he’s got a lot of health problems and other problems, so you know, just less worry about how things get done,” Robinson said. “I don’t have to worry about stuff anymore. I’m so thankful, I just can’t tell you how thankful I am. I highly recommend Azle.”
Springtown Navy veteran, wife receive much needed home repairs during Servolution Blitz
SPRINGTOWN — The experience of having Servolution Network volunteers work on her home felt overwhelming and humbling to Teri Smesrud.
“I don't know how to express it, and I don't cry hardly ever, but I would be crying if I could,” Smesrud said. “It's just an overflow of blessings.”
Retired married couple Gene and Teri Smesrud knew about Servolution through their friends and have even volunteered with the organization before.
“We really like what they do, and now we know more than ever how important it is,” Teri Smesrud said.
On Friday, April 12, Servolution volunteers started working on a variety of maintenance repairs at the Smesruds’ home, including building an accessibility ramp.
Despite being so well connected, the Smesruds didn’t immediately reach out to Servolution when they needed help. Gene Smesrud, 81, prided himself on being able to handle household repairs, but when his wife needed an accessibility ramp, he found his limit.
“(Adrienne Malmberg, who works at Servolution) has been pestering me ever since we moved in to put a handicap ramp up for Teri, and I have done that before, done it myself,” Gene Smesrud said. “I know what a job it is, and I know the expense. We couldn't afford it. She talked to me for quite some time about putting in an application to have it done by Servolution, and she finally talked me into it.”
For context, Gene Smesrud estimated that the cost for ramp materials, not including a new porch, would cost about $1,500 at least.
Teri Smesrud added that because of her husband’s health issues, he can’t always do what he used to do. Gene Smesrud said if he takes on a big project, he has to break it up into small bites and will take longer to complete it.
“There's lifting and stuff like that on certain things that he can't do anymore that he has to ask for help,” Teri Smesrud said. “And most of our good friends at church are older.”
Getting the work done on their home is expected to “make a big difference,” Gene Smesrud said.
Before getting the ramp and new deck, Teri Smesrud said there were about six steps outside her front door leading to the lawn and driveway. She described difficulty using the steps, especially since she carries a portable oxygen concentrator when she leaves home.
“When I have that in my hand and I need to hang on to the railing, there's not a whole lot else I can carry, and the more stuff I strap around my arms and shoulders, the more off kilter I am,” Teri Smesrud said. “So, (the new ramp) will kind of free me up to be a little more independent.”
Some of the other projects included floor repair so the Smesruds wouldn’t feel like they would fall through their floors and installation of insulation under their home, which is expected to help with their electricity bills that can cost hundreds of dollars.
“The insulation under the house, we feel like will be (able to) keep the heat and cold in and not be losing so much energy,” Teri Smesrud said. “We had an electric bill last year of $975.”
Of the volunteers at the Smesruds’ home, some came from Fort Worth Navy Week, where sailors participate in educational and community outreach events. Since Gene Smesrud is a Navy veteran, Chief Petty Officer Jonelle Eldredge presented him with a U.S. flag to honor him. Eldredge, who has been in the Navy for 20 years, said she had never heard of Servolution before, but now, she’ll never forget it.
“That's what the Navy is all about, humanitarian efforts, both domestic and international, small scale and large scale. So, this is right up the Navy's alley but also just a part of me personally, things I've done in the past,” Eldredge said.
The chief petty officer said the fact that the Navy Week participants volunteered at the home of a Navy veteran was meant to be.
“I think it was definitely like God's saying, ‘Let's go ahead and have them there to bless him and his family but also to be a part of a bigger picture just to represent the Navy as well,’” Eldredge said.
Disabled veteran receives help from Servolution Network after tornado damages roof
AZLE — After a tornado damaged his roof, a 70-year-old disabled U.S. Air Force veteran got the help he needed during a recent Good Neighbors Blitz. Volunteers repaired a damaged ceiling, added insulation, replaced several windows and a water heater. The group also cleared up brush in the back yard, cleaned an old garage, repaired a plumbing leak, sealed trim, replaced the front door, and gave the house a new paint job.
Students from Azle Christian School were a critical force in these efforts, doing much of the labor needed in the yard and on the house’s exterior.
“It’s just because as a Christian school we really love to serve God and our community,” freshman volunteer Haylee Malewiski said. “So, it’s really just a moment for us to go and be able to get out of our school and go and help the community instead of just praying over it, doing the actions toward it and helping other people, not just ourselves. I think a lot of us have definitely enjoyed our time here. A lot of us have done this more than once, more than twice, more than three times. A lot of us have done it just once and it’s definitely eye opening.”
The Portwood Road homeowner was thrilled to watch and chat with volunteers as they did a near complete remodel on much of the outside of his house.
“It’s a great service, it really is,” homeowner Orrin “Bubba” Janvrin said. “I’m really, really, very appreciative, really. When you’re on social security it’s kind of hard to do all this stuff so it’s very appreciated.”
The porch that my father built
AZLE — “The cow is a keeper,” 65-year-old Jerry Allen said.
Allen sat on his porch and watched as Servolution Network volunteers sifted through a life’s worth of trash and treasures, saving what was important.
“That’s a keeper.”
“Nah, you can throw that away.”
Allen’s father had built the porch he was sitting on and in 1987 purchased the mobile home in which he now lives with his 75-year-old wife.
“I’ve been here since 2003,” Allen said. “Anyway, it’s time for some renovation work to be done to it. They’ve done a lot a lot of good work today . . . (The porch’s roof has) been leaking since May and they’re repairing it.”
“Servolution is doing a great job taking care of everything,” Allen said. “I’m just a disabled vet and not able to take care of this stuff anymore. I’m on oxygen 24 hours a day. I get quite winded. I just have a shortness of breath all the time. It’s hard for me to do anything.”
With his trailer and yard cleaner and safer, Allen thinks it’ll be easier for him to move around, live and handle the day-to-day upkeep.
“It’s going to be better than it was,” Allen said.
Along with refastening the metal roof, Servolution Network repaired several leaky or broken faucets and pipes, replaced siding and fascia, and helped install some Americans with Disabilities Act compliant features around the house.
Zach Freeman
