‘Thanking them for their service’: Bartlett veteran receives new roof as part of Owens Corning program

An 82-year-old U.S. Marine Corps veteran received a new roof last week courtesy of a partnership between a roofing manufacturer, a contractor and a nonprofit housing organization aimed at helping veterans.

Bartlett resident Scott Hellem received the roof as part of the Owens Corning Roof Deployment Project, which has completed 825 projects across the country since 2016.

The Owens Corning Foundation donated roofing materials and Feldco, an Owens Corning platinum roofing contractor, donated the labor. DuPage and Chicago South Suburbs Habitat for Humanity coordinated the effort.

Hellem has been living in his home in the Apple Orchard section of Bartlett for about 45 years.

“When I moved in here, there were no sidewalks and no streetlights and on the other side of my house was cornfields all the way down to Army Trail,” he said.

Every once in a while, a combine would pass by shucking stalks of corn, sending them flying into his yard.

The area has since developed into a neighborhood of single-family homes. Nearby is the Apple Orchard Golf Course and Apple Orchard Community Park.

Over the years, Hellem’s roof has fallen into disrepair, requiring a complete replacement. The cost would have been in the neighborhood of $25,000 to $30,000.

Hellem said he heard about the program through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

He said he is thankful for the program.

“When you have to ask for help, that’s a challenge sometimes,” he said. “Because I’ve always been independent and able to take care of myself. But at 82, things come up and health issues.”

He said he underwent a triple bypass 12 years ago, and about a year ago he had a double retina detachment and was completely blind for a few months. He is still recovering from that.

“I am thankful for the health that I do have,” he said.

He said the roof has needed work for quite some time and leaks have caused some water damage, he said.

Tim Lengel, Feldco director of business development, said the workers performed a complete tear-off and replaced the roofing materials with shingles that have a strong high-wind performance.

“In this case, a lot of the decking, the plywood underneath, needs to be replaced as well,” he said.

Hellem said he entered the military in 1963, serving two years on active duty and eight years in the reserves. In civilian life, he was a pilot in a career that included a stint with Midway Airlines and corporate work.

“If we connect with veterans like Mr. Hellem, then we have them fill out an application,” said Judy Bilitzki, family services manager with DuPage and Chicago South Suburbs Habitat for Humanity.

From there it is doing some due diligence and then connecting with Owens Corning, which deploys its platinum installers.

Bilitzki said her organization just finished a project in Oak Forest about a month ago.

“It’s zero cost to the veteran for thanking them for their service,” she said.

Bilitzki said it makes her emotional — her brother is a retired Army veteran, while other family members are in the military.

“They’re doing a good job,” Hellem said. “They’re very nice people. Very friendly. They’re doing a lot of hard work.”

szalusky@dailyherald.com