Meet Angie, our newest Veteran Advocate
Angie is a proud U.S. Army Veteran who served for 6 years in St. Paul – Minnesota, Fort Bragg – North Carolina, Camp Eustis – Virginia, and Camp Stanton – S. Korea. Angie gives a face to and represents many of the statistics we hear frequently when speaking of female Veterans, Angie is a survivor. Her experiences in service to our Country have left her dealing with PTSD, homelessness, and depression over the years. That never stopped Angie from moving forward time after time, using her past experiences and skills to now help Veterans like her get the help they need.
Angie and her husband Elbert love to spend time at their home in Minneola, hanging out with their son and 3 pets. But until recently, their housing stability seemed to be in jeopardy as they didn’t have the necessary funds to afford a roof repair, they were in danger of losing the house they’d grown to love. “We desperately needed a roof, or we would lose home insurance and end up homeless,” said Angie
Until one of her friends referred her to Habitat Lake-Sumter.
Thanks to grant funds through The Community Foundation of South Lake, we were able to provide the repairs the Batica family needed, and a partnership with the Owens-Corning Roof Deployment, a program that lends a helping hand to struggling veterans, enabled us to replace the roof.
“This is our way of thanking them and giving back for everything they did to serve our country,” says Travis Foster, area sales manager for Owens-Corning, “to give Angie and her family a peace of mind and know that they’re safe, that means a lot to us.”
The new roof was installed in early Fall and to honor Angie and the veterans in Lake and Sumter counties, we celebrated Veteran’s Day volunteering alongside Knights of Columbus and Michael’s Foundation to put the final touch on the Batica Family home, a new exterior paint job.
Angie now serves as an advocate for Habitat Lake-Sumter on United Way’s Mission United advisory board for Veterans in Lake and Sumter Counties.
Angie says, “Thankfully Habitat for Humanity came to the rescue.” When asked what difference the repairs made in Angie’s life, she stated, “Oh the difference is between being homeless or not, which I’ve experienced already. The rest are no more leaks, mold, stains. We thank our higher power for this and are over the moon with joy. Our hearts are full. We will be able to stay safe, stay in our home & enjoy it even more!”
Thank you to our community partners, Community Foundation of South Lake, Owens-Corning Roof Deployment, and many others for sponsoring this project and making Angie’s home a safe haven for years to come.
