Muncie community volunteers rebuild home for Vietnam veteran
MUNCIE, Ind. (WISH) — John Holaday, a 77-year-old Vietnam veteran who lived without power and water for more than a year, has a new home.
Volunteers led by students from the Muncie Area Career Center, the Delaware County Veteran’s Service Office and some of the city’s contractors, like Muncie Masonry and Concrete, rebuilt his house from the ground up.
Holaday shared his gratitude to everyone involved in an emotional interview on Tuesday.
“It’s hard to put into words,” Holaday said. “It’s a blessing everybody went that extra mile for me.”
He shared the moment with family members, who were able to reunite with him for the first time in years.
“Thank you very much from the bottom of our heart,” Holaday’s niece, Maggie Bowen, said. “Not only John but our family thanks you for helping take him off the street and provide him with a warm and wonderful home.”
It took around 60 days to complete the project, after Delaware County Veteran’s Service raised enough money to pull it off. They say a rebuild like the one they completed would usually take 181 days for students to finish.
Watch the videos to see what the project meant to the volunteers and the full interview with Holaday.