Rockland County Legislator John Murphy recognized the work of five volunteers who aided in the completion of phase one of Homes for Heroes before Tuesday's meeting of the Rockland County Legislature.
Leslie Crunden, Margaret Fitzpatrick, Carl Dornbush, Tom Micelli and Gene Wasielewski received Distinguished Service Awards for their work in completing two four-unit rental apartments on Western Highway in Tappan. The units will house honorably discharged, disabled and displace veterans.
"The grant money received from Senator Charles Schumer was expended on the brick and mortar portion of the project," Murphy said. "Not a penny was left for anything else. We are blessed by the selfless work of these volunteers to add the necessary finishing touches that complete the vision of this project."
Crunden and Fitzpatrick organized a team that provided household goods for the units. They raised money with a tag sale, secured donations of goods from local merchants and held a Veterans Appreciation Day at Palisades Center Mall to gather more donations. They pulled together a group of volunteers nicknamed the Doily Squad, who decorated the apartments and stocked them with household goods.
Dornbush, Micelli and Wasielewski, who are all veterans of the U.S. armed forces, worked on designing and supervising he landscaping around the apartments.
"These team leaders made it their mission to see that a beautiful garden-like atmosphere was built at a place of serenity for their fellow veterans getting a second chance at life."
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