How to be a Good Neighbor

By Colin Sheehan, RCS Reporter. 

Elwood, Kansas residents come together to save a man’s home from condemnation. 

Tammy Rucker, a long-time Elwood resident, grew up with the Elwood man whose home had fallen into a dire condition. She noticed the city was voting to condemn his house and took action to prevent her long-time friend from homelessness. “I didn’t even talk to him. I just made some phone calls and asked people to donate their time and help him fix his house,” said Tammy Rucker to news reporter, Kilee Thomas of KQ2 in their news story.  

She organized fellow neighbors and reached out to local roofing and sewer companies to see if they’d be willing to give some of their time and materials to help a man in need. Rose Roofing and Reed’s Sewer Services didn’t flinch to support a member of their community and helped save the home, free of charge.   

“Spencer came to me with it wanting to see if we would supply the material at first and then ended up saying we’d do the whole thing,” said Tim Rose, owner of Rose Roofing.  

Rose Roofing provided the materials and their labor to repair the roof. Reed's Sewer Services also donated their services.  

“I told her I was willing to put a hot water tank in and fix the water leaks,” said Wesley Reed, owner of Reed's Sewer Services. 

Altogether, Rose Roofing, Reed’s Sewer Services and a collection of Elwood neighbors went straight to work and finished the roof in a remarkable 8 hours. 

Tammy Rucker believes a person’s inability to repair their home doesn’t mean they deserve to lose it completely. Rather, it is the purpose of the community to help each other out when they need it the most. Rucker hopes that her city takes this event as a lesson and makes changes with regards to their practice of condemnation.  

Rucker and fellow neighbors, as well as Rose Roofing and Reed’s Sewer Services, surely showed the city how to be a good neighbor and how easy it can be to lend a helping hand for a community member in need.    

“I’ve known this person all my life. We grew up here together. This is what Elwood should be about,” said Rucker. 

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.