Last Saturday, volunteers from the Rebuilding Together Houston and ExxonMobil’s Veteran Advocacy and Support Team (VAST) came together to restore the home of a 97 year-old widow of a military veteran.

Theodora Brown’s home was built over 85 years ago by her husband, Victor Brown Sr. who served in the U.S. Army for 20 years. Veterans teamed up with children on a cold and rainy day to make the repairs that the home desperately needed. They did things like replace rotten siding, seal the home to prevent water leaks and repaint the exterior.

“What better gift than to have these volunteers out here making sure her house is safe and sound so she can stay in it for all the rest of her days?” said Christine Holland, CEO and executive director of Rebuilding Together Houston.

“Looking at my home, my husband’s work and how much time he put into this work it just makes me feel good to see it being restored and looking good again,” Theodora said.

VAST chose Theodora’s home to be repaired after a search of veteran families in need of maintenance and improvements to their homes. They wanted to make sure her home was not only nicer, but also safer for her to live in.

“We want Mrs. Brown to feel like people care for her and that we have her best interest in mind, and we want her to have a nice, safe place to live and a place she can be proud of, as proud of as she was when her husband built it probably 70 years ago or so,” said Matt Waters, a volunteer from ExxonMobil.

“It’s great to be able to help her, and she’s just been so delightful, and that’s one of the things I really find with the homeowners, they’re just so thankful and so appreciative to get some help, and it makes you feel real good,” added Chris Hart, a veteran and the president of ExxonMobil’s VAST team.

“To the volunteers, I’m just so happy to see nationalities, different colors working together, all for one good purpose, and that’s love,” Theodora said, adding that the home will be completely repainted by the end of the month. “It’s going to be wonderful. It’ll just be so wonderful, something I can call my own and see my own handiwork and my husband’s handiwork.”