As some of you in the Tristate have seen we ran a giveaway during December to donate a new Heating and Cooling System to someone in need. After receiving over 75 nominations we printed them out and read all of the stories. Many of the applicants were very deserving but we had to narrow it down to just one. We contacted 5 families and did an in home assessment of their equipment and met with them to hear their needs.
One of the families stuck out to me. He had no heat and was keeping the house from freezing by turning on the oven with the door open and using oil space heaters in the room. Even though he had no heat, when I left, he told me that he was thankful for what we were doing and that he knew that there were a lot of needy people and to give it to the family that needed it the most.
As I was lying in bed that evening that comment kept playing over and over in my head. When I came in the next day I shared that comment with our team and they agreed that the Wozniak Family was our pick. They had been nominated by their Daughter to receive the free system because they were raising 5 of their grandchildren in a home that hasn’t had heat since last March.
The installation posed many obstacles with the house being built in the late 1800’s. They had been renting the house for 11 years before purchasing the house on contract the year before. When they moved to the house, the entire basement was filled with the past renters belongings and trash that they did not take with them when they moved out. When informing them that they had won the system, I talked to Teddy about cleaning out the basement so that we would have room to work. He agreed, but after leaving I didn’t really know if that was going to be a possibility unless he had help. So we contacted Advanced Disposal the next day and asked if they would be interested in partnering with us to help the Wozniak Family out. Joey Scott replied to my email over the weekend and was very excited to help us out on the project. He went to the house to see where the dumpster could be placed and came to the conclusion that a 6 yard dumpster was the largest that could fit on the property.
I contacted Theodore and let him know the plan. We arrived at the house the day prior to installation and removed 3 ½ dumpsters of debris out of the basement. We removed the old ceiling from the basement and all of the return ductwork that was loaded with dirt. Only half of the supply ductwork was useable and many of the supply runs had to be replaced with insulated ductwork. The Crawlspace was cleaned and a vapor barrier was installed to keep moisture and odors from the living space. Insulation Board was cut to fit all of the single pane windows in the basement to prevent cold air from entering the home. Water lines were insulated with armoflex insulation to prevent sweating. The entire basement was cleaned and vacuumed out to give all of the children a place that they could feel safe walking into in case of a storm. Lennox had provided a High Efficient Gas Furnace and Air Conditioner to keep them comfortable all year long.
After finishing the job that Friday evening, I could tell that the family was so excited and appreciative. There is truly no amount of money that can buy the feeling you get back when you help out someone in need. All the hard work was worth it.
Thank you Tristate for the help in finding a Family to help out this Holiday Season.
Thank you Lennox for providing the Equipment.
Thank you Advanced Disposal for the dumpster so we could clean out the basement.
Congratulations to the Wozniak Family, I hope you love your new system.
Thanks,
Bryce Brackett
General Manager
Brackett Heating, Air & Plumbing Conditioning
