LAKE COUNTY Fla. – Lake County Army veteran and her husband are relieved now that they’ll have a new roof over their heads.
“We were just like oh my God, thank you,” Angie Batica said.
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The Batica family was chosen by the Owens Corning Roof Deployment Project--a program that lends a helping hand to struggling veterans.
“This is our way of thanking them and giving back for everything they did to serve our country,” Travis Foster. area sales manager for Owens Corning, the company’s that’s donating all the materials for the Batica’s new roof. “It’s one of the most critical things for the home. So, to give Angie and her family a peace of mind and know that they’re safe, that means a lot to us.”
Owens Corning teamed up with Habitat for Humanity Lake-Sumter and Southern Roofing and Renovations to get results for veterans.
“Once we ripped everything off, there is rot completely around this house. They had leaks all over the place,” Randy Fletcher, general manager of Southern Roofing and Renovations said. They are the platinum contractors for the project and are donating the workers and labor to replace the 19-year-old roof.
“It was a no-brainer I was like of course we’re gonna help them out. Whatever we can do,” Fletcher said. “I was in law enforcement 16 years, I like to help out my community; just to be able to do this for the Batica family it just means so much to us cause they didn’t know where to turn.”
Since the inception of the Owens Corning Roof Deployment Project in 2016, more than 275 military members have received new roofs at no cost.
“We didn’t have the money,” Batica said “I didn’t know that these programs existed so having it happen for us is just, I don’t know, I can’t even speak to how grateful we are.”
Batica is a native of Minnesota, who served in the army from 1992 to 2000. She worked in the mechanic’s field overseas in places like South Korea.
“I picked aircraft, missile defunct system repair which basically means working on armament systems on helicopters,” the 46-year-old said.
Batica recalled it was a fulfilling experience but one that came with added challenges because of her gender.
“I wanted to be part of the guys so they accept me you know a lot of the men didn’t really want women there sometimes,” Batica said. “Sometimes we have hardships after service not only during, and so it gives us hope that there’s other people who care about veterans.”