New Roof and Skylights Keep House Safe for Veteran
Jennifer Skell had already enlisted in the Air Force as part of the delayed entry program when the September 11 terrorist attacks occurred.
She was at home in Michigan when the attack happened and was called into active duty by November. She had planned to attend college and better her education while serving. During her first couple of years of service she also got married and had a baby.
After the birth of her daughter, Jennifer was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a diagnosis that led to her honorable discharge in 2004.
She and her then-husband moved to his hometown in Texas, where they had a son. After their divorce, Jennifer became a single mom raising her daughter and autistic son on her own. Her daughter is now 20 and a full-time college student. Her son is 19 and lives at home.
“My kids are my pride and joy,” Jennifer said. “They are the reason I keep going no matter what.”
“After a lot of emails, research, phone calls, and applications, Operation Homefront called me and gave me my first glimpse of hope of help.” – Jennifer Skell, Air Force veteran
In July of 2019, a decade after becoming a breast cancer survivor, Jennifer bought her first home in Bellville, Texas. Six months later, she learned the cancer had returned. In the following three years, from 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, until 2023, Jennifer underwent 17 reconstruction surgeries and fought “any complications you can think of,” she said.
This impacted not only her health but also her financial stability. When she bought her home, it had been in foreclosure. The previous owners had renovated most of the inside, but they had not completed exterior work. The home had its original roof, and Jennifer received a roof exemption on her insurance policy.
On March 15, 2024, her small town was hit by a major storm that included tornadoes and hail the size of baseballs. Like so many others in the town, Jennifer’s home suffered severe damage. The hail destroyed her skylights and damaged her roof to the point it needed to be replaced. She could not stretch the budget to cover the cost of replacing the roof and skylights.
Jennifer searched online for assistance and kept coming up empty.
“After a lot of emails, research, phone calls, and applications, Operation Homefront called me and gave me my first glimpse of hope of help,” Jennifer said.
She had found Operation Homefront’s Critical Financial Assistance Program®. Since 2011, the program has provided over $42.5 million in financial assistance.
Thanks to the generous donors to Operation Homefront, Jennifer was able to fund almost $20,000 for roof replacement and skylight repairs, making her home safe and secure for her and her son.
“If it wasn’t for Operation Homefront and the donors that help them help others, I would not have been able to get my skylights and roof replaced,” Jennifer said. “It’s truly humbling and gives me hope that there are actually (organizations) out there that help those in their time of need.”
