Foundation Gifts New Roof to Vietnam Veteran and His Wife

By Evelyn Witterholt. 

After a long life of service to his country and community, this veteran was thanked for it with a brand-new roof. 

Horras Sheffield and his wife, Willie Mae, have made so many efforts over the course of their lives to give back to their community. Horras, 76, is not only a Vietnam veteran, but he also ran a number of successful businesses in their home of Sarasota, Florida. Willie Mae was a founder of the Wings Academy charter middle school. Because of their efforts, they were graciously gifted a new roof for their home courtesy of the Denis V. Cooper Foundation. 

Maverick Johnson, a local radio personality, started the foundation which is named after his father Marine Sgt. Denis V. Cooper. Cooper was a Vietnam veteran who was exposed to Agent orange during the war and died of lung cancer in 2011. Since then, Maverick has used the foundation to give thanks to other veterans by helping them in any way they can. 

When the Sheffields needed a roof replacement, they sought out the help of the Sarasota County Veterans Commission who had helped them in the past. The Commission knew that paying for a complete roof replacement was out of their budget so they got in touch with the Denis V. Cooper Foundation who did not hesitate to help them. “This situation is really why we created this foundation,” Maverick Johnson told the Herald-Tribune. 

The foundation hired Kingdom Roofing to complete the job. They installed the roof with donated labor and materials. The President of Kingdom Roofing, Sean Worthington, said they also received help from GAF and ABC Supply who both reduced the building costs of the Sheffield’s new roof. 

Worthington stated that Kingdom Roofing has helped out customers with discounts in the past, but never to this extent. “It was a team effort on all parts,” he told the Herald Tribune. “Being able to participate in a project like this is part of our culture and DNA and what we stand for.” 

Willie Mae Sheffield told the Herald-Tribune, “It’s wonderful, it feels like someone cares.” 

Have a question? AskARoofer.

Find your local roofing contractor in the RoofersCoffeeShop® Contractor Directory. 

About Evelyn 

Evelyn works as a writer for RoofersCoffeeShop and AskARoofer. When she isn’t writing about roofing, she’s either at the gym lifting weights or curled up on the couch watching a movie. 

Photo Credit: Herald Tribune