It’s a value that was instilled in him by his father years ago: serving others. Tom has known from a young age that “paying it forward” is important, and he intends to do his part to help.
Prior to retiring and joining Home Repairs as a volunteer, Tom enjoyed a career spanning nearly 50 years in the IT industry: programming, installing, and designing for companies in nearly all 50 states and a dozen other countries. His career is what sent him from Maryland to Texas and eventually to Atlanta where Tom found out about Home Repairs through Heaven’s Helpers, another ministry he’s now been involved with for nearly nine years.
“Home Repairs installed a grab bar for the pastor emeritus at Mountain Park UMC, and [while installing] Mark [Wolfe] mentioned that they were backlogged with grab bar installation needs,” Tom said. “After that, the pastor put Mark in contact with Heaven’s Helpers’ leader Phil Slaton.The rest is history.
“The grab bar effort is what got me involved with Home Repairs in late 2018. And even once that program wound down, I continued volunteering with HRM, as did several other Heaven’s Helpers team members.”
“[I love that Home Repairs is simply] volunteers helping fellow citizens without any higher body interfering or impeding progress,” Tom said.
Tom has been a part of a variety of projects: from repairs on siding and soffit, floors and subfloors, gutters, roofs, decks, and fences to other handiwork like grab bar installations, yard cleanup, painting, winterization, plumbing, and even building wheelchair ramps.
In doing repair work, Tom has seen the way people just like him suffer extreme difficulties – and in turn, he’s gotten to experience the joy of providing the help and hope these local homeowners need.
“The saying ‘There but for the grace of God go I’ comes to mind a lot; it’s hard to see the conditions we encounter when we arrive,” Tom said.
“Like other endeavors, this type of work has its ups and downs. But when we see our client check out the work – whether a single grab bar or the rebuilding of a disintegrated deck – their expression can be truly priceless.
“My big dream for Home Repairs is that one day, we’re no longer needed. But in the short-term, I dream that we always have the resources needed to complete the mission at hand.”
In spite of the difficulties they encounter, to Tom, it’s always a special experience to see a smile on the face of the homeowners he serves. He also deeply values the atmosphere of working alongside other Home Repairs volunteers to better the lives of homeowners in the metro Atlanta area.
“We don’t always get to meet the homeowners, but many we have met were overjoyed with our efforts on their behalf,” he said. “Once, the homeowners prayed in thanksgiving for us coming to their aid.
“And I remember one elderly lady in particular who was just thrilled with the grab bar we installed to help her up the steps from the garage into the house. She had a twinkle in her eyes that was amazing to see.
“It’s hard to answer in only a few words what I’d want other people to know about this ministry,” Tom said. “But I truly feel that I’m in the presence of Christ, doing this kind of work with such a dedicated team. The world could use a lot more Home Repairs.”
Find out more about how to get involved as a Home Repairs volunteer now at homerepairs.org.