12 Veterans Awarded With Beacon of Hope

By Cass Jacoby, RCS Reporter. 

Beacon Building Products’ national campaign awards 12 veterans with a new roof or $2,500 towards roof repairs.  

Many veterans who have served our country will face adversity in the years following their service, be it financial issues, unemployment, health related issues or homelessness. That is why Beacon Roofing Supply created Beacon of Hope, a nationwide campaign that was created to give back to veterans by providing them with funds to make their homes safe. Here are the Grand Prize Winners and Second Prize winners of the 2021 Beacon of Hope. 

Grand Prize winners 

• George A. from Scarborough, Maine. George has always been an active man, willing and able to fix or repair anything, but as an older man, now unable to walk without assistance, his abilities have been severely limited. Now with the Beacon of Hope prize he will get the financial and physical assistance needed to replace his current roof. Read more about George. 

• Alan D. from Union Dale, Pennsylvania. Alan served in the Army National Guard as a Combat Medic for 12 years. Alan is an advocate for veteran suicide prevention and those who suffer from PTSD – a condition he battles personally. His roof was in dire need of repairs and needed to be replaced prior to April 2022, otherwise, he would have been forced to cancel his coverage policy. The Beacon of Hope comes just in time to help Alan stay covered literally and figuratively. Read more about Alan. 

• Grailing C. from Manassas, Virginia. Grailing is a disabled Vietnam Era Veteran with injuries received while on active duty in the United States Air Force. Grailing and his family have lived in their home since 1986 and in 1988 their roof was replaced. Now the roof is in severe need of repair and the gutters will need replacement as they are currently rotting off. Thanks to the Beacon of Hope, Grailing no longer has to worry about his roof. Read more about Grailing. 

• John M. from Houston, Texas. John is a 20-year U.S. Navy Veteran Submariner. Recently John’s home has suffered damage from tremendous storms, including damage by Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Nicholas. With the Beacon of Hope, John’s roof was able to get repaired without him being put in any danger. Read more about John. 

• John V. Clifton from Heights, Pennsylvania. John is a Vietnam-era veteran, completely and permanently disabled as a direct result from Agent Orange, a tactical herbicide used in the Vietnam War. He was first diagnosed with prostate cancer at age 40 and beat it. At 64, he had a heart attack that required a triple bypass. In 2017, John had another heart attack and while in the hospital, doctors found out the prostate cancer had returned and metastasized to his bones. John woke up one morning and was paralyzed from his waist down as the cancer metastasized on his spinal cord causing a spinal stroke. Meanwhile, his wife Joanne was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020. She went through chemotherapy and radiation and was just recently diagnosed with kidney cancer. Winning the Beacon of Hope allows this family to focus on their health and takes the stress off from worrying about their home. Read more about John. 

• Jeremiah W. from Aloha, Oregon. Jeremiah is a military man whose roof is in desperate need of repair – the exterior damage and leaks are now causing damage to the interior. Now, after winning the Beacon of Hope, Jeremiah doesn’t have to worry about how he will financially pay for his roof and his mortage. Read more about Jeremiah. 

Second prize winners 

• Harry H. from Kutztown, Pennsylvania. Read his story. 

• Paul B. from Montesano, Washington. Read his story.  

• Maria L. from Miramar, Florida. Read her story. 

• Paul S. from Williamsburg, Virginia. Read his story. 

• Tracy S. from Mobile, Alabama. Read her story. 

• Joe Y. from Edinberg, Texas Read his story. 

Beacon hopes to inspire their employees and customers, and to a larger degree, the community to come together with their efforts with “Beacon of Hope.” Congratulations to all the winners, who more than deserve a safe place to live.  

Learn more about Beacon in their directory or visit www.becn.com.