It’s early spring, the time when Terry Sokol and Ray Garcia would be mapping out the flower design for their yard in Maplewood. “Every year we like to change the gardens up with different flowers and sculptures,” Sokol said. “It’s a hobby of both of ours, and we do it together.”
Sokol proudly shares photos of the creations, which include cascades of impatiens, pansies, marigolds, and more. But this year, garden planning was on hold because Garcia couldn’t get into his yard or leave his home since a Parkinson's diagnosis put him in a wheelchair.
“The simple things we take for granted mean a lot to our clients,” said Tom Pfannenstiel
Program Director at Rebuilding Together Minnesota. The non-profit provides free home repairs and safety modifications to low-income homeowners, particularly seniors, veterans, families with children, and people with disabilities. Rebuilding Together Minnesota will complete 170 projects this year alone. Since 1997, the organization has worked to ensure safe, independent living by repairing roofs, fixing plumbing, and installing accessibility features like ramps, exactly what Sokol and Garcia desperately needed. The pair applied for the safety improvement and were approved.
“Terry served in Vietnam for 3 years and came home and met Ray,” explained Fraser Breon, Communications and Community Engagement Associate for Rebuilding Together Minnesota. “Ray is confined to a wheelchair, and Terry uses a walker.”
Both conditions made the steep concrete steps in front of their home not only unsafe, but also impassable for Garcia and his wheelchair. “He’s been looking forward to this,” Sokol explained. He said Garcia had not been outside of their home in two months.
Rebuilding Together Minnesota partnered with Home Depot in Woodbury on the project, which went way beyond a wheelchair accessible ramp and landscaping to include a surprise for the homeowners. “They’re also getting a new patio set, a charcoal grill, and lights,” said Pfannenstiel.
Sokol and Garcia applied for the project on the Rebuilding Together Minnesota website, where the next application process opens on Oct. 1. Successful candidates are homeowners who meet income requirements.
All of our clients are low-income, as categorized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD),” Fraser explained. “That means they make less than 50% of the area median income for family size per county. Our clients don’t have a plethora of support available to them.”
News they were getting a new ramp, coupled with Garcia getting out of the hospital and assisted living, prompted the couple to make a bold move after being together 55 years. “We recently got married,” Sokol said. “It’s a new start for both of us.”
The seemingly small projects from Rebuilding Together Minnesota are creating a big impact for everyone involved.
“The transformation in homeowners is unbelievable,” Pfannenstiel explained. “Seeing the life changes that we do, that’s why I come to work every day,”
Learn more about Rebuilding Together Minnesota, including how to apply for a project and how to donate here.
