This online news website is owned and operated by Becky Watts. The Editor can be reached at 770-468-7583 or at editor(at)PikeCountyTimes(dot)com. Pike County Times is a website for citizens to keep up with local events and stay informed about Pike County government. It began on November 13, 2006 as a watchdog on county government and has turned into an online newspaper.
If you enjoy reading Pike County Times, consider buying an advertisement for your business or sending a donation to support Pike County Times. Donations can be sent to: The Pike County Times, PO Box 843, Zebulon, Georgia 30295. Click here to donate through PayPal. Thanks for supporting Pike County Times.com!
The weather was beautiful as volunteers from Wells Fargo worked with Purple Heart Homes, Inc. to renovate the home of Buddy and Summer Mays this weekend. Purple Heart Homes, Inc. is a 501c3 organization owned by veterans that is making a difference in the life of this Pike County disabled veteran. Purple Heart Homes received a $37,000 grant from Wells Fargo to make life easier for Ret. Sgt. Charles D. “Buddy” Mays.
The Mays’ home is the first home to be renovated here in the state of Georgia by Purple Heart Homes, Inc. Wells Fargo teamed up with Purple Heart Homes, Inc. to make the home energy-efficient and handicap accessible. Volunteers built a handicap accessible bathroom for Buddy, built a lift system from the back deck that will provide an exit from the house, painted the inside of the home, and provided an energy efficient upgrade through appliances and weather-proofing that will save the Mays family up to $700 per month in their energy bills.
Ret. Sgt. Charles D. “Buddy” Mays was a part of Troop E 108th Cavalry, 48th Brigade, Combat Infantry Team stationed out of Griffin, Georgia when it activated to go to Iraq in 2005. While coming back from a mission, an improvised explosive device was detonated beneath his humvee. Buddy was paralyzed from the waist down from this incident and two fellow soldiers succumbed to injuries from this attack.
After extensive rehabilitation from injuries that included many surgeries for his back that was broken in four places, a compound fracture to the tibia and fibula in his left leg and a crushed right heel which could not be repaired, Buddy came back to a home that was not wheelchair accessible. The Mays moved to a new home that was somewhat accessible but still needed changes to make their home ADA compatible and truly accessible for Ret. Sgt. Mays. This is where Purple Heart Homes, Inc. stepped in to provide needed help in home renovation.
Volunteers helped out with the house from start to finish on this renovation project. Furniture and other items from the home had to be moved out of the house before the construction could even begin on the Mays home. Members from the Thurston Fire Department and Pike County Emergency Services volunteered to move everything out of the house and into an outside storage container.
When the call went out from Pike County EMA Chief Jimmy Totten to see who could help out that Saturday morning, Firefighters Cliff Grant, Daniel Holland, FF Billy Payton, and Ryan Reeves responded to assist the Mays. They moved items out of the house and helped trim trees and pull up bushes in order to help with the landscaping that would be done by Purple Heart Homes volunteers. Firefighter Cliff Grant said this about helping Ret. Sgt. Mays and his family, "I figured that was the least we could do for what he did for us."
Buddy’s wife, Summer, led me through their home as well as outside to show the work that was being done by Purple Heart Homes, Inc. through volunteers. “It’s amazing what they’ve done,” she said. “It’s been an experience. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.”
The attic had been sprayed with insulation and new appliances were being brought in to make their home energy efficient. The outside of their home had been pressure washed, landscaping was in the works, and the solvent system was being moved to the side of the home so Buddy could maintain it in the future. But the biggest blessings for this family have been making the bathroom accessible for Buddy in his wheelchair and building a lift so he can enjoy time with their family without having to exit the front of the house and go all of the way around the house to come to the pool in the backyard.
Business owner Justin King from Smyrna was coordinating the work on the home when I visited the weekend before Wells Fargo volunteers came in. Summer said about Justin: “He’s doing [this renovation] strictly because [Buddy] is a veteran.” She told me that Justin didn’t want any publicity for this. “His heart is in the right place.” Justin said about his volunteering on this project: “…I don’t want it to be about me doing this or me being a part of this.” Justin went on to say that helping renovate this home is about Buddy and Purple Heart Homes and people stepping up to help our veterans.
Buddy Mays and his family are thankful to Wells Fargo, Purple Heart Homes, and to all who have volunteered to help in the renovation of their home especially in this Thanksgiving season. “I am grateful to Purple Heart Homes for approving my application for assistance and to Wells Fargo for the grants they provided that will certainly make my life a lot easier,’ Buddy said.
“Our mission is to provide personalized housing solutions to disabled Veterans,” said John Gallina, co-founder of Purple Heart Homes. “Working with Wells Fargo provided us with a perfect solution to help Buddy Mays,” Gallina added. “We are thrilled to be able to not only make Buddy’s home safer and more accessible, but also more comfortable and affordable for his family.
“As we give thanks to the Veterans who served our country, it is an honor for Wells Fargo team members to pay tribute to Sergeant Mays for his service and sacrifice on behalf of our nation,” said Mike Donnelly, metro Atlanta regional president for Wells Fargo. “We are grateful for this opportunity to support both Mays and Purple Heart Homes as they work to make homes more energy efficient and accessible for veterans throughout the country.”
Buddy was fully retired from the military in 2007. He attended a winter sports clinic in Snowmass, Colorado where he learned to ski with adaptive equipment. Buddy is now involved in snow skiing, wheelchair basketball and softball, hunting, deep sea fishing, and track and field.
Buddy is also the Cub Master of Pack 107 in Zebulon at First Baptist Church where he works with others to help these boys grow into men. He hopes that these boys will turn into men who will remember their time with him and remember “…that all they need is a true sense of self and perseverance to achieve any goal they may face.” Buddy’s motto in life is: “Push On, Push Hard!”
To learn more about Wells Fargo and its volunteer work in the community, click here.
Purple Heart Homes, Inc. is owned and operated by veterans Dale Beatty and John Gallina, who were both wounded in combat in Iraq in 2004. They founded this non-profit organization in 2008 to help service connected disabled veterans. Click here to make a donation or learn more about Purple Heart Homes, Inc.
There was a sea of red Wells Fargo shirts standing together on one side of the group and friends, family, and community support standing on the other as the ABC Network News Team with Bob Woodruff was filming this event for a Nightline Prime Time Special that will air on December 10th after the debates. This special will be called "Bringing America Back" and will feature Purple Heart Homes Co-founders Dale Beatty and John Gallina along with a segment about Saturday's Mission Accomplished Ceremony for Buddy Mays.
Click here to read about the Mission Accomplished Ceremony that was held at the Mays' home on Saturday, December 3, 2011.
These photos courtesy of Wells Fargo and www.zachporter.com. Pictured left: Wells Fargo's Chuck Hall, Carolyn Morris, Melissa Lynn, Jennifer Dublin, Audrey Price, Krista Van Tassel, Michelle Daniels, Scott Sapp, and Ken Woodruff pose for a picture with former Army Sgt. Buddy Mays at his home in Meansville, Georgia. Pictured right: Wells Fargo's Krista Van Tassel, Buddy Mays, Chuck Hall, and John G, Mays' home in Meansville, Georgia.
