Former U.S. Army paratrooper Johnny Walker knew his life had changed when he woke up in a mobile Army hospital in Vietnam, being prepared for evacuation back to the States. Although grievously wounded in combat in 1972, Johnny was eventually able to work, start a family and, like many veterans, quietly carry on with life as best as he could.
Towards the end of a 30-year Disney career, Johnny knew that the passage of time, his war wounds, and the multiple effects of exposure to the herbicide Agent Orange significantly impacted his health. Recently he has found it increasingly difficult, and at times impossible to get up the steps of the house in St. Cloud Manor he shares with his wife Revena.
Things definitely changed for the better on a rainy Saturday earlier this month when a 34- foot wheelchair ramp was constructed by 15 volunteers from the Osceola Council on Aging and the St. Cloud Home Depot. Funding and materials were supplied by the corporate Home Depot Foundation, under the “Helping Homebound Heroes “program specifically for America’s veterans.
“It was getting to be an unsafe situation for the both of us,” Walker said.
The program, a collaboration between two nation-wide organizations, Meals on Wheels and the Home Depot, will construct whatever modifications are needed in a veteran’s home to ensure mobility and safety.
The program also collaborates with local organizations, like the Council on Aging and the city’s Home Depot, which can identify likely veterans in their community.
“Our Veterans need our support, especially our elderly Veterans who served this great country for our freedoms,” said Wendy Ford, Council on Aging President and CEO, in a statement announcing the weekend construction activity.
“We are fans of the Osceola Council on Aging staff because they know what the needs are in our community for our Helping Homebound Heroes program,” said Ron Potvin, Store Manager at the St. Cloud Home Depot, and leader of the Team Depot volunteers. “While Home Depot is a very large company, each of us that work at the local store is part of the community.”
In addition to the access ramp, the group installed new smoke detectors, did a major refresh on the house’s landscaping, and attached a flag bracket for a new U.S. flag and pole in the front yard.
At a couple of points in time, the couple was clearly emotional.
“We just can’t believe what all of these people have come out and done for us,” said Revena Walker.
Currently, the COA completes four to six projects per year, including those for veterans and others in the community.
While the “Heroes” program is there for veterans, “the Council has to rely on getting materials from local contractors, donations from the community and volunteers from local civic organizations to complete other projects,” said Wilda Belisle, Senior Vice President for Nutrition at the Council on Aging.
For more information on the Osceola Council on Aging, go to: https://osceolagenerations.org/services/home-rehabilitation/
For more information on the Home Depot Foundation, go to: https://corporate.homedepot.com/foundation
