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Serving the DC Metro Area for over three decades. | ||
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MHIC # 6812 Virginia Class A License #2705077055A DC License # 3082 | ||
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CONTACT D.G. Liu Contractor, Inc. 301 831 8776 866-99DGLIU 301.831.8865 fax © Copyright 2012 D.G. Liu Contractor, Inc. All Rights Reserved |
Making a Difference, One House at a Time
Volunteers Pitch In to Help Civil Rights Leader
From: The Gazette, Wednesday May 6, 2009
Rebuilding Together normally gathers volunteers for one or two weekends each year to make repairs to the homes of low-income county residents.
However, when organizers for the nonprofit group looked at Harvey Zeigler's house on Holsey Road in Damascus, they decided gutting a portion of the house and building an addition would make more sense.
"They have done marvelous work," Zeigler, 89, said. "It's great."
He was waiting Monday for county inspectors to check the plumbing and electrical work of volunteers who had spent four weeks working on his house.
A typical home would receive minor repairs, safety handholds for seniors, new locks, sometimes a fresh coat of paint, Lee-Berkeley Shaw, director of development for the group, said.
Zeigler's shower was rusted, the plumbing was not working well, the kitchen was so small there was no room to move and the floors were rotting, said Jerry Liu of D.G. Liu Contractor of Dickerson, who spearheaded work on the house.
"There was so much that needed to be done, it was easier to start over," Shaw said.
Liu and his crew built a new bathroom, installed new appliances and cabinets, laid new floors and carpeting and made the rooms handicap accessible in case Zeigler, who is in good health, should one day need a walker or wheelchair.
The last weekend of April, 20 volunteers from Sandy Spring Bank painted and completed the less-skilled work, Liu said.
Liu got to know Zeigler during his weeks in the house and learned about his civil rights work.
"It was an inspiration for me working with a client like that," he said.
After a life of service to the community, it was time for the community to give back to him, Liu said.
"He talks about things that happened, never plays up his part," Liu said.
But Zeigler was involved in much of the county's civil rights history. He joined the National Association for the Advanced of Colored People (NAACP) in the late 1950s and has worked for more than 50 years to break down prejudice in Montgomery County.
Zeigler worked with the county school board in the 1960s to add African-American history to the school curriculum and to hire African-American principals and counselors.
His efforts led to changes in discriminatory loan policies at local banks. He fought discrimination in the workplace to become a supervisor in the U.S. Department of Energy in Germantown.
In 2006, Zeigler was inducted into the county Civil Rights Hall of Fame and was named a Visionary Elder by the National Visionary Leadership Project, a project to record and preserve the wisdom of African-American elders.
In recent years, Zeigler helped form the Damascus Connection, a group that advocates for legislation and social service support for upcounty residents and small businesses, and he is helping to create a Damascus museum.
"The man is still out there doing it," Liu said.
Zeigler was among the 250 low-income applicants asking for repairs this year, Shaw said.
His project jumped to the top of the list when they saw he was a World War II veteran, she said.
"We have funding through Sears Holdings to do veterans' projects," she said. "The money we have for veterans' projects allowed us to do everything we wanted to do [for Zeigler]."
The local Rebuild Together chapter is based in Kensington. During the last two weekends of April it brought together more than 1,000 volunteers to tackle projects in 32 homes.
For Jerry, the effort is less about donating and more about a sense of camaraderie. “I’ve never felt we were giving anything to anybody,” he said. “I’ve just felt like we all live here, and this is our community.”
For more information, or to donate or provide services, call 800/4-REHAB-9.
Vist the Rebuilding Together website...
Rebuilding Together, formerly known as Christmas in April, provides free repairs to homeowners in need—usually the elderly and disabled. The group’s mission is to make homes warm, safe, and sanitary for occupants. Montgomery County’s chapter of RT repairs 50 to 60 houses each year.
Jerry Liu has served as a house captain with RT for more than 20 years, and many loyal DGL employees volunteer time and skills as well. “Jerry is one of our strongest supporters,” said Susan Hawfield, executive director of the Montgomery County chapter. “He feels it’s the duty of the remodeling industry to give back to the community, and he certainly demonstrates that. This year’s challenge was huge. This house is now completely insulated, windows have been replaced, and it’s sealed properly. DG Liu has done amazing work. We can’t be prouder to have someone like Jerry on this project.”