“I’m amazed,” remarks Henry Harmon, as he tries to put into words his emotions as young volunteers from the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) spent days completing major repairs to his home at 411 Bella.

“It’s a blessing,” he said, “This cleans the slate for all that I went through before.”

The restoration of a house that once was a haven for squatters was done under the provisions of Heroes at Home.

NCCC volunteers, along with members of the UL Volunteers, J&L Flooring and the Acadiana chapter of Rebuilding Together completed major repairs to both the interior and exterior of Harmon’s home, including rebuilding the bathroom and kitchen, repairing the siding and home’s foundation, replacing flooring and painting both inside and outside. In addition, new electrical wiring, new ceiling fans, lights and a back door were completed.

After the service, Harmon relocated to California. Following the death of his parents, Harmon returned to their Rayne home and discovered squatters had heavily damaged the house.

Under the national program, Rebuilding Together Acadiana teams up with Sears Holdings to rebuild veterans’ homes and community centers to help improve the lives of the nation’s military families.

Sears’ Heroes at Home program plans to complete more than 60 projects throughout the country this fall, To date, Heroes at Home has raised more than $12 million to help veterans and their families live in viable and safe homes. Rebuilding Together has completed more than 900 rebuilding projects for veterans across the country.