Life
Teens help build elderly veteran a new home after contractor rips him off
John was living without electricity or water in a house that needed lots of work. But all that changed thanks to the kindness of strangers.
B.T. Swezey
05.12.21

It requires a lot of sacrifice to serve in our nationโ€™s military.

Youโ€™re away from your home, your family, and your safety is constantly being tested.

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However, once you return home from serving, you still have to get on with your life.

This transition can be tough for some veterans and can sometimes lead to homelessness.

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For one veteran, he had a house, but it could barely be called a home.

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His name is John Holaday and he had been living in an unfinished home without electricity or running water for over a year.

He had saved up his money to pay for a house and then hired a contractor to do some remodeling.

The contractor ended up ripping John off and stealing around $8,000 from him.

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This was the last of Johnโ€™s money, and without it, he wasnโ€™t able to afford to finish his house.

He was left with a hollow shell of a home with exposed studs and no insulation.

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Thatโ€™s when one group of high schoolers in Johnโ€™s town decided to step in and help out.

They called on the help of their construction technology teacher, Jeremy Penrod.

He laid out the plans for Johnโ€™s new house and the students got to work.

Many of these kids had no idea how to build a house.

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One of the student builders, Jayden Stevenson, said this:

โ€œThereโ€™s guys in here that, first day they came in here, they didnโ€™t know how to read a tape measure.โ€

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However, the group of students rallied for John and did everything that they could to get his house completed.

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It took them 51 days to complete, but by the end of construction, John had a beautiful new house.

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The group decided to be there when John finally showed up to see his new house.

He pulled up in a van and when he got out, he was immediately struck by his emotions.

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The crowd welcomed him home and he couldnโ€™t help but begin to weep.

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One woman said from the crowd:

โ€œThank you for your wonderful service.โ€

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John thanked them, though his voice was hoarse from crying.

A man from the group said:

โ€œYou were there for us, weโ€™re here for you, now.โ€

Another person added:

โ€œYou sacrificed for us, we sacrificed for you, brother.โ€

As John stepped through the front doors of his new home, the tears continued to fall.

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The transformation of Johnโ€™s house really is incredible.

Now heโ€™ll be able to live comfortably there for the rest of his life.

Oh, and just in case you were wondering about the contractor who ripped off John and stole all of his money, heโ€™s now in jail.

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This touching story is an awesome example of how much we can accomplish when we work together to achieve a common goal.

If weโ€™re willing to sacrifice a bit of our time, we can do great things for so many people.

Check out the video below to watch this entire touching story unfold!

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

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