KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Michelle Harvell, a veteran who lives in Kalamazoo, got a special gift Friday in honor of Veterans Day on Saturday.
Harvell moved into her home a couple years ago, and she says things were falling apart left and right.
Kalamazoo Valley Habitat for Humanity stepped in Friday and started putting Harvell's home back together— one screw at a time.
"I wasn't thinking about anybody given me anything. I was just wanting to serve my country. And you don't think about that even when you get out," Harvell told FOX 17.
Emotional and filled with gratitude, she was not expecting to see power saws, drills and 30 volunteers all over her home on Friday.
"It's a little overwhelming, but it's blessing," she said.
After serving eight years as a combat medic and supply specialist, Harvell moved to Kalamazoo with her daughter and husband— not expecting things like the furnace, washer and dryer to break down.
"Our house might not be the way I want it to be, but man...what they're doing today [Friday] is, like, getting me there," Harvell added.
She first reached out to Habitat for Humanity hoping for help replacing her furnace before the winter months; however, she realized Friday that the organization had much bigger plans.
"We're putting flooring in, we're building cabinets, we're getting appliances, we're doing some external work as well that we're able to do because we have these volunteers. And then, we're also just doing some minor structural work to just kind of make sure things work better," Kalamazoo Valley Habitat for Humanity Interim Executive Director Blaine Lam said.
The organization was able to secure $10,000 in supplies and 30 volunteers through its ongoing partnership with Home Depot to make this project happen.
Lam says for veterans like Harvell who have given so much, projects like this are the least they can do. "We literally build communities, and so we leveraged volunteers, and to have the Home Depot volunteers do this for us just makes us extra special," he added.
For veterans in need of this kind of assistance click here.
