Companies Partner to Provide Free Roof for Navy Veteran

By Colin Sheehan, RCS Reporter.

Roof Deployment Project takes off in Lane County, Oregon.

65-year-old Rick Tijerina became the first applicant from Lane County for Owens Corning’s Roof Deployment Project after reading an article at his local barber shop in Junction City, Oregon. The article that caught his eye was from Habitat for Humanity, who has been partnering with roofing company Owens Corning to bring free new roofs to veterans in the area.

After his haircut, Tijerina walked to the Junction City Habitat for Humanity office and applied for a new roof for him and his wife, Liezel. Not long after, a crew from River Roofing arrived at their Cheshire home to tear off the 23-year-old roof.

River Roofing, located in Eugene, Oregon, has been donating free roofs locally through The Good Neighbor Project for several years. John and Steve Davey, brothers and owners of River Roofing have provided free labor to install these roofs as well. They were excited to get a call from Owens Corning about the Roof Deployment Project.

“This is a way for us to give back to the community and the veterans who have served our country,” John Davey said. Owens Corning provided free shingles for the project and River Roofing donated their time and labor.

The partnerships between Habitat for Humanity, Owens Corning and their network of Platinum Preferred Contractors has helped create new roofs for more than 190 million veterans and military members since 2016.

Tijerina, who served as a weather observer for the United States Navy for four years in the 1970s, was grateful for the help these organizations provided. “This desperately needed to be done and this is the best option I had to get it done,” Tijerina said. He moved to Oregon not long after serving and ended up in Cheshire, a community in Junction City, in 1997.

Tijerina watched the crew work on his roof throughout the day. He was thankful for the service they provided to him and his home. “I would like to express my thanks and how grateful I am.”

You can read more about this story here.

Do you know of someone in the industry who is ‘doing good deeds’ in their community? Help us catch them at it. Send news and information to info@rooferscoffeeshop.com.