SEATTLE — Guardian Roofing announced that Janet and William Vandenberg is the company's 2022 HALO Project winners, a by-nomination contest to help provide a local family with a new roof or roof repair. The Guardian Halo Project was founded in 2018 when the Guardian family brainstormed ways to best give back to the community in a way that's unique to the company.
HALO is an acronym that stands for:
- Helping – the community, families, or simply enriching others' lives
- Achieving – a purpose and successfully filling a need
- Lasting – not only a company that lasts, but also fostering lasting relationships
- Overcome – meaning completing people's needs that resulted from outlying obstacles
"The Guardian Halo Project is our pride and joy, and it touches us deeply to see how a new roof improves the quality of life for the families we have been able to help over the last three years," says Lori Swanson, CEO of Guardian. "At Guardian, we believe it's incredibly important to give back and take care of our community, and we are so excited to provide the Vandenburgs with this gift."
The Vandenbergs have lived in their Maple Valley home for 18 years, but encountered recent hardship that prevented them from being able to repair their cracked roof and leaking skylights. To get by, they placed a tarp on their roof and covered the indoor furniture in plastic to protect it from the leaking water during heavy rains.
"As seniors on a fixed income, after receiving bids, we were trying to figure out how we could pay to have the work done. While waiting to afford it, other circumstances occurred that have prevented us from making repairs," says Janet Vandenburg.
A bad case of pneumonia prevented Janet Vandenburg from working for four months. Just as she recovered and was returning to work, William Vandenburg was diagnosed with vascular dementia. As they struggled financially, a new obstacle occurred: a road construction crew destroyed the drain field for their septic system, adding a new financial burden at a cost of $30,000 to $35,000. Following that, William Vandenburg got sick with COVID-19 and was hospitalized for a few months. Soon after, he took a fall and broke his hip and femur, resulting in surgery and rehabilitation.
"The leaks are concerning, but due to circumstances we cannot control, the cost of the roof/skylight repair is becoming more difficult for us to accomplish on our own. When I received an email from Guardian Roofing explaining the Halo Project, I got a glimpse of hope and wanted to share our story with Guardian," says Janet Vandenburg.
The Guardian team knew that after all of the obstacles the Vandenbergs had been up against, they were the family that needed them most this year.
"It's an awesome program for people who are definitely in need. I just didn't know how I was going to get over all these hurdles," says Janet Vandenburg. "I'm so glad that Guardian is going to be a part of our story and we can't wait."
View a video about the Vandenbergs here.
