On this last Veteran’s Day Weekend, Team Rubicon honored five Puerto Rican veterans by repairing their homes that were damaged by Hurricane Maria last year. Thirty TR grey shirt volunteers and one volunteer from the Veterans Administration worked simultaneously on the five homes in Juncos Arecibo.
Roofs were pressure washed and repaired, ceilings were repaired, and door frames fixed. The volunteers also did some painting. Team Rubicon Puerto Rico program manager Hilda Vlachopoulou said the “VA filmed the work for part of the day,” and that the volunteers—part of which joined TR for the day from local skydiving and SCUBA diving clubs—“loved the experience of giving and honoring veterans with service. It was very rewarding.”
Caroline Bozeman (aka Cadizzle Bozizzle) was so inspired by the volunteer work she did with TR in Puerto Rico that she launched a Facebook fundraiser for her thirtieth birthday, stating, “I’ve worked side by side with them and can vouch for the tremendous effort they are doing to help the many people in Puerto Rico who lost their homes.” Accompanying the request was a photo of TR Greyshirts in action, and as of this date, Bozeman has raised more than two times her projected donation for Team Rubicon.
Homeowners Felipe Gonzalez and his wife said many blessings over the volunteers. Mrs. Gonzalez said her doors will always be open for Team Rubicon. She invited Hilda and the team to, “always stop by and see her,” and she thanked them for treating them so well and for doing amazing work. She loved the experience and seeing TR’s “respect for veterans” and the Greyshirts “hard work, discipline and dedication under the burning sun.” Mrs. Gonzalez even made the volunteers coffee and invited them to stay for dinner.
