A split second
-Ron of Amelia
For Ron of Amelia, that's all it took - a second - for his entire life to be changed forever. Ron was walking home from his job as a waiter at a downtown Cincinnati restaurant one night, when he was attacked. Three weeks later, he awoke from a coma, paralyzed from the waist down. Doctors told him he would never walk again, but he worked hard to prove them wrong.

"There were plenty of days where I wanted to give up, but I knew I couldn't, he said. "I didn't want to be a victim... I wanted to be a survivor." In and out of care facilities, Ron eventually lost his home in order to pay medical bills. But his spirits buoyed when his health improved and he was able to walk slowly with the assistance of a walker. With his small disability check, he was able to purchase a mobile home in Amelia. However, the weakness in his legs recently returned, making the navigation of steps impossible. Because he couldn't get out of his house, he was a prisoner in his own home.

"Every time I wanted to go outside or had to go somewhere, I had to call someone to carry me down the steps. it was really embarrassing," he said. "My sister said she would help me, but she's usually too busy. I would usually just sit here all day with my dog. It was very depressing."

A friend told Ron about PWC, so he called to see if we could help. His hopes for mobility and independence were dashed when he was first told he wasn't eligible for PWC's traditional methods of funding. The ramp was just too expensive. So PWC turned to private donations like yours to build the ramp. Today, Ron is able to leave his home unaided, so he can enjoy his fall garden or take his dog for a walk, using his electric wheelchair. "I am just thrilled with PWC, I think it's a wonderful thing for people like me," he said. "Here I was completely housebound, and now I can get out. I really want to thank all the people who make donations to this agency because it helps people like me. I've fought so hard to be a survivor. It's nice to know that there are people out there who care."

A country house made home again
-Edward and Marie
Living in a turn-of-the-century country home seems quaint - unless it lacks the basic necessities like heat and running water.

Edward and Marie (ages 84 and 74) of Lebanon took great care and pride in their small, county style home for nearly five decades. But their advancing age and the home's serious repair needs became overwhelming. The antiquated furnace had simply stopped working and the plumbing was almost non-functional.

A social worker suggested PWC, but traditional funding couldn't meet the immense requirements of the job. PWC looked for sponsors as part of Repair Affair, and true to the supportive nature of the PWC community, several sponsors immediately chipped in.

Riemeier Lumber and Keidel Bath & Plumbing Supplies signed on as project sponsors, while Robert Forsee & Sons donated the labor. The small, turn-of-the-century farmhouse needed completely new plumbing, a new furnace, and numerous other repairs. The crew from Robert Forsee & Sons worked over 14 hours to make sure the job was done.

The friendly couple was very pleased with the work, and enjoyed the family atmosphere of the event and the staff and volunteers who served them.

"(PWC Project Manager) Mark Kuntz is an ace... one of the nicest people we ever met," said Edward, "and the people who did the work, they were a whole family, they even brought out the baby for us to see. They were wonderful, wonderful people."

"This may not look like much, but it's our home. It's everything to us," said Marie. "When you're older, there isn't anyone you can turn to who will help. We're just thrilled with PWC."

War Veteran
-Kenny S.
There was no heroic welcome, no parade, no cheering crowd when Kenny returned home from serving his country. What he did receive was a prosthetic leg, an oxygen tank to help him breathe, reoccurring migraines, seizures and the inability to provide for his family.

"I am," he said, "completely unable to work. I was left without a way to make ends meet, yet the doctors told me I was lucky to be alive."

His monthly income is just over $800 a month, just enough to cover the cost of his medication and housing expenses - with $47 left for groceries. So when his modest home in Blanchester began to crumble due to a roof leak, he felt hopeless.

His local congressman suggested PWC. Unfortunately, because none of PWC's funders underwrite the kind of repairs Kenny needed in his county, he was only qualified to receive free home weatherization.

When PWC employees Al Loving and Gary Kroger visited Kenny's home for an assessment, however, they were moved by the extreme need and tragic circumstance of Kenny's situation. Backed by approval from the PWC management team, Loving decided to use special "whole house"
dollars-funding provided by private donations to cover client needs that do not qualify for contractual services-to get Kenny the help he needed. He and Gary even donated their own time on weekends, and enlisted the help of long-time volunteers, to make sure this local hero received help when he needed it.

The pros and cons of the situation were simple: even though Kenny did not live in PWC's repair service territory, his need was so strong and story so compelling, PWC employees, volunteers and managers believed it was simply the "right thing to do" to help a war veteran with no other options. They donated their own time toward his well-being.

PWC repaired the roof and replaced the drywall and floor in the kitchen. The back door was repaired, furnace fixed and even the damaged refrigerator was replaced. "PWC was truly the only place who would help me," Kenny said. "I don't know what I would have done without them."

Clermont County
-Mary and Wilford
Having one wage-earning family member suddenly disabled and unemployed is challenging. But when both abruptly become ill and need help, the result is catastrophic.

Mary and Wilford of Clermont County faced such a catastrophe when she became ill with Multiple Sclerosis and lost her mobility "almost overnight."

The very day she was hospitalized, her husband became critically ill with complications from emphysema - and also lost his mobility. "Here we were, in the hospital at the same time.everything changed overnight," said Mary.

Mary (61) and Wilford (58) focused their recovery efforts on regaining independence. The MS Society helped Mary purchase a scooter and referred her to People Working Cooperatively to help repair the broken ramp that was an original part of their 20-year old mobile home. The ramp was at an unsafe angle, and in such disrepair that it was completely unusable.

"At first I thought there had to be some sort of a catch," Mary said. "I didn't believe that someone would come out and help us for free. We were just so pleased. It surprised me that people would be so nice."

PWC indeed helped the couples with a completely new ramp that has not only assisted with their mobility, but their sense of independence and well-being.

"(Wilford) gets in the scooter every day to go up and down the ramp to get the mail. It makes his day," Mary said. "I've used the ramp for my physical therapy and we both use it every day to visit our neighbors. Without the ramp, we would have been stuck in the house, with no way to get out. If I could talk to the people who installed my ramp I would just say thank you. Thank you so much for making a difference in our lives."

Can you imagine living without heat, a dry place to sleep, or running water in your kitchen?
-Nettie
When Nettie, a 62-year-old widowed grandmother called PWC to save her house, she was sure there was nothing we could do.

After all, she was used to sleeping on her sofa - next to her granddaughter, because her leaky roof had caved in over the bedrooms. She was accustomed to hauling in water from the outside to do her dishes - because the indoor plumbing had rotted. She was used to heating her home with her stove.

Like so many of our elderly and disabled clients, Nettie suffered many tragedies in her life. Her husband died early in their marriage, leaving four children to rear on her own. Two of her children died, one daughter leaving two grandchildren in Nettie's care. The youngest grandchild still lives with Nettie.

Living only on her small retirement income, Nettie had to juggle the demands of raising a teenager along with groceries, utilities, and medication. Nettie and her granddaughter tried to put on a bright face for the outside world - but inside, there was only depression and fear as their home literally fell apart.

An elderly relative told Nettie about PWC - but she was suspicious. She thought if someone saw her home, she would be forced to move, or live in government housing.

"I'd rather die than move," she told her granddaughter. "I can't go anywhere else."

When PWC first visited the home to assess the situation, we too were skeptical. The need was so great, we wondered if we could make an impact. One thing was for certain: no one deserved to live in those conditions.

So we used every resource we had - dollars from our funders, and contributions from individual donors. Eighty-four volunteers wanting to make a real and visible impact in their own community - donated over 700 hours of service. PWC 's professional staff worked diligently on Nettie's home, installing a new furnace and hot water heater, a new roof, new gutters and new plumbing. The bedroom interiors-destroyed by years of water damage-were torn out and dry walled.

What could have been a tragedy indeed had a happy conclusion. Nettie and her granddaughter now sleep in their own beds and enjoy the basic human necessities such as running water, hot water for showers, dishes and laundry; and a warm, heated home in the winter. Her life has improved dramatically and her neighborhood has kept a valuable friend and neighbor.