Volunteers Inspire Mr. Roberts

Mr. Roberts is a proud Anderson County resident and has been for the past twenty-seven years. He’s known for his kindness and loves tinkering and wood-working. In fact, he built the mobile home he lives in now on the plot of land he bought when he first moved to the area! He’s also the father of four and a handyman. He enjoys playing with his wide array of pets: two bearded dragons, a Chihuahua named Gracy, and a Jack Russell and Spitz mix named Rosa.

Whether playing around with his kids or watching a movie, Mr. Roberts fondly remembers the time he spent with his family in his home. His best memories, though, are the times he spent with them over the holidays. 

To Mr. Roberts, his home is comfort. “Being able to do the things I want to and knowing that the place I’m at is mine.” When physical ailments from his work and his health problems worsened, Mr. Roberts started to find that simple things, like moving in and out of his home, were becoming more difficult and less safe. “My ankles and legs have really been giving me a lot of problems and my feet hurt worse than ever. I had trouble leaving out the house and coming back in wasn’t easy either. It was just brutal.” Mr. Roberts urgently needed repairs. He contacted Rebuild Upstate and that’s when volunteers from St. John’s United Methodist Church answered the call. Mr. Roberts says they were a gift from God.

“I’m very grateful and appreciative. Each and every person there is special to me. You don’t meet people often that care as much as they do, I don’t know what else to say other than how wonderful they were.” Mr. Roberts even took pictures of and with the volunteers that day on his phone and looks back at them often. He cherishes the moments from his build day and enjoys reliving those memories. 

Mr. Roberts can now get in and out of his house with ease. He says the volunteers greatly improved the quality of his life. Mr. Roberts still is facing some medical issues and was recently released from the hospital after recovering from double pneumonia. “It is a blessing that now I can get into my house with ease.” He is looking forward to recovery and getting some things done in his home. He said that the volunteers encouraged him to live better and feel better. “I get down on myself because my health is not the best, but the people that were there were giving it their all, and that’s just inspiring.”

To learn more about Rebuild Upstate’s work in Anderson County, click this link.