After serving two tours in Afghanistan, a Cleveland Navy veteran is back and working now as a firefighter, and will soon be living in a brand new home.
That's thanks to a few high school students, who News 5 caught up with today, right as they were in the middle of the remodel.
Pulling up the carpet and gutting the walls, ten St. Edwards students are putting their hands to good use.
“In the military there such a sense of brotherhood when you're overseas, you’ve got someone by your side, but it's our way of saying that you've always got something here for you stateside that's always looking after you," said Joe Cotner, a senior at St. Edwards, who wrangled his buddies together. He told News 5 helping others is his passion.
“I really like that face-to-face hands, I like hands working boots on the ground attitude," he said.
That's why he and his friends helped the Purple Heart Home organization renovate a house on Cleveland’s near west side for a disabled military veteran.
“I do think they often go overlooked," expressed Cotner.
Howard Goldberg, Chief Real Estate Officer with the Purple Heart Homes project said the students were more than helpful.
“They have done the equivalent of a literally a week of work and one day… they're not as helpful they're good at what they do," he said.
The non-profit takes homes, like this one, who's owners have donated it, renovate and remodel the place and then gives it to a disabled veteran in need, allowing homeownership, for most that it’ll be their the very first time.
“This song is being updated to code, we're doing energy efficiency changes to it, giving in a nice makeover, floor coverings, carpeting," Goldberg said.
As he anxiously awaits the unveiling of his new home, Alex Rychlik, the recipient of what will be the renovated home, couldn't hold back his excitement.
"I'll be honest I'm very excited to have a backyard and a garage something I haven't lived with in a while," he said.
A former St. Edwards alum himself and still active in the air force reserves, he told me having young kids care about his well-being, inspires him to want to pay it forward to someone else.
“This is absolutely a blessing to see kids from my school come together…and I want to jump right on board and do my part to help as well," he said.
This is the fifth house the Purple Heart Homes project has donated to a veteran here in Northeast Ohio. The group is hoping to have the renovations completed for Alex by early May when he'll be able to move in.
