Aurora man's call to service helps veterans improve their homes
When Rick Lawrence was finishing high school in 1980s Aurora, he wasn't sure if he wanted to work or study, so he chose a third option: to serve.
He joined the Air Force and made his military service into a 12-year career, with assignments in California, Nebraska and Japan, including a gig flying on a "doomsday plane" that's ready, in the event of a nuclear emergency or other major disaster, to keep the president and his successor airborne and safe.
When he returned to his hometown as a real estate broker for Baird & Warner, Lawrence again got the call to serve when he heard a presentation about a local charity his company was supporting.
Now 53, Lawrence said he remembers hearing Patrick Bowler speak five or six years ago about Naperville Responds for Veterans, and the way the organization steps in to help vets and their families with repairs to make their homes safer.
"He told us about the organization and said they were always in search of volunteers or people who wanted to donate their time," Lawrence said. "Being a veteran, I just had to talk to him afterward."
Soon Lawrence wasn't just a volunteer but a board member, involved with a committee that reviews applications from veterans, meeting with them at their homes to determine what work is necessary and how Naperville Responds can help.
Getting veterans to ask for assistance is sometimes the charity's biggest hurdle.
"They're proud people and they don't want to ask for help," Lawrence said. "But their homes a lot of times are in disrepair or inaccessible for them."
Naperville Responds helps with 15 or more projects a year within a 20-mile radius of the city, including accessibility ramps, bathroom modifications, plumbing repairs, electrical projects, driveway replacement and remediation of mold or bedbugs, said Bowler, an original member and past president. The charity uses money raised to hire licensed contractors to get the job done right and quickly, especially when health and safety are concerned.
Many repairs come at the request of relatives, neighbors or friends, not the veterans themselves.
"The funny thing about veterans is they will not ask for help," Bowler said. "When they go through boot camp, they are taught not to worry about themselves but to help others, and they come out doing just that."
That means veterans in some cases will put up with starkly overgrown landscapes, dilapidated trailers, broken furnaces, disconnected plumbing or many such issues all at once.
"We've seen some horrible situations," Bowler said, "and we've fixed them."
Having veterans as part of the organization helps break down communication barriers that can arise, because Bowler said veterans and civilians often speak "a different language."
Lawrence, who served in Air Force communications, said he's able to connect with any veteran he meets because they share a bond, no matter if they served aboard a "doomsday plane" as he did, or a tank, helicopter, submarine, battleship or all-terrain vehicle.
"Regardless of what service you were in, it's like a family," Lawrence said. "You're always raised, or I was raised, that family helps family. That's the main thing."
To help Naperville Responds for Veterans by volunteering or donating, visit http://nrfov.org/.
• Do you know of veterans helping other veterans, doing good things for their community or who have an interesting story to tell? Share your story at veterans@dailyherald.com.