Stratford Veteran Receives House Of Heroes Help

From House of Heroes Connecticut

STRATFORD, CT — Gratitude is the driving emotion that inspires the work of House of Heroes Connecticut (HOHCT) every day.

It all begins with the non-profit Veterans Service Organization’s gratitude for the sacrifice of those who served, and this powerful sense of gratitude inevitably comes full circle by the time a House of Heroes project is completed.

When that special time arrives, it is the Veterans served who are filled with gratitude of their own for the life-changing gift of assistance they’ve received.

This sense of gratitude was in great abundance recently in Stratford where House of Heroes Connecticut, which provides no-cost home repairs focused on safety and accessibility for military and public safety Veterans in need, assisted 85-year-old U.S. Army Veteran Lawrence “Larry” Lazaro and his wife, Geri, thanks to the generosity of HOHCT Project Partner CareFree Home Pros.

Getting older is never easy, and Larry and Geri have had their share of challenges trying to remain comfortably and safely in their home as they’ve gotten on in years. The most recent challenge came in the form of Geri’s second knee replacement earlier this year; the couple’s tiny bathroom at the top of the stairs, outfitted with a decades-old traditional bathtub, made showering a near-impossible task.

“I had to sit on the edge of the tub. I could not lift my leg over the tub,” Geri said. “It was very uncomfortable and difficult. With the bathroom being so small, the fear of falling backward and hitting my head was a very frightening thing.”

Larry, who served in the Army from 1958-1961 and whose family has a distinguished track record of service to our nation, recognized the problem he and Geri faced. Active in his community and a longtime volunteer with the Town of Stratford Veterans Museum, Larry sought the guidance and assistance of Molly Ryan, Constituent Services Manager in the office of Mayor Laura Hoydick.

“As much as we needed this bathroom to be renovated, there was no way we could have afforded it,” Larry said. “I told Molly about our situation and she said, ‘be patient.’ And we were.”

“I knew about House of Heroes because of previous connections we had made here in Town,” Ryan said. “I thought it would be a good fit for Larry’s situation so I made the call to House of Heroes and the collaboration began.”

Larry and Geri’s need for a bathroom retrofit – or more specifically replacement of their old-style bathtub with a walk-in shower – happened to be a perfect match for House of Heroes’ new partner, CareFree Home Pros. CareFree, a leading bathroom remodel specialty contractor with a commitment to giving back to the Connecticut and Massachusetts communities it serves, established a partnership with House of Heroes last year when it renovated an aging and unsafe bathroom for the Plainville widow of a Vietnam Veteran who had recently passed.

CareFree felt such a sense of reward from that experience that the company informed House of Heroes it wanted to help yet another Veteran this year.

Enter Larry and Geri. Let the gratitude begin.

“When I was told what was going to be done for us at our home, I had to see it to believe it,” Geri said. “When they came, I said to myself, ‘Oh my God, this is really happening!’ Every time now I get in the shower and sit on my seat, I lean back and thank the Lord because this is a true blessing.”

“They did a great job,” Larry said of the CareFree installation team. “They said they’d be here at 8, they were here at eight, and they finished the whole job in a day. They were out of here by 4. I was just amazed.”

The show of gratitude in the wake of this rewarding project does not end with Larry and Geri. It also extends to Mayor Hoydick and, of course, to CareFree Home Pros.

“The Town of Stratford is committed to keeping our Veterans, especially senior Vets, in their homes if we can,” Hoydick said. “We are so thankful for Larry’s service and the service of his fellow Vets, and this partnership with House of Heroes is a perfect example of how we can show our gratitude.”

Likewise for CareFree Home Pros, a company which views giving back to those in need – particularly Veterans – as an honor.

“We are just bursting with pride, having been able to thank Larry for his service to our country and help Larry and Geri with their new walk-in shower,” CareFree General Manager Scott Stancliffe said. “For me, personally, I come from a Veteran family. My father served in World War II, my father in Vietnam. I know how those experiences changed their lives.

“Our Veterans sacrificed so much for us and giving back like this, helping out those who deserve it, is the least we can do to show our thanks.”