Iron Mountain, Mich (WZMQ) – A disabled Veteran and his family are now enjoying improved accessibility thanks to some volunteers. A local business has sponsored the family for the winter, and now that they have, they plan to continue helping the family with summer lawn maintenance, as well.
Sharon Feldhausen says that she couldn’t be more grateful for the help. She says that the business began shoveling their walkways and plowing their driveway.
“I went out there and I, this was before they got here one day, I was sweeping and shoveling a little bit, and they got here, and a little bit was done, and they said ‘don’t do that again, that’s what we’re for.’ I hope everybody appreciates it as much as we do,” she remarked.
Michael Feldhausen said that he and his family benefit greatly from the extra help. He served two tours during the 1960’s. He worked in ordinance in Guam and Thailand.
“Everybody used to run around looking for a shovel, running over to try and pinch me out a day or two late, the mail wasn’t coming and that… And boy that sure lifted a load off my back because you know, everybody wants them shoveled and scraped and pearly white. And Rize up has done that for us. They’ve been very, very good to us,” said the retired veteran. He confirmed that the business has been shoveling and plowing all season. “When there’s a storm, they’re here without notification” added the veteran.
Delonna Kaufman, a cultivation lead with the business, said that she has done other volunteer work in the community, like highway cleanup, the Iron Mountain Half Marathon, and Italian Fest, but serving this family is one that means a lot to her.
“This is probably our most personal volunteer position. I like it a lot, I try to be here every time for shoveling. Michael and Sharon are really cute people, and I don’t plan on stopping helping them after the snow stops. I would imagine being in a wheelchair mowing your lawn could be quite a problem, and little Sharon, it’s a lot for her,” Kaufman commented. She encourages other businesses to consider sponsoring a family in need of extra household help.
“If you’re going to live in a community, you have no right to complain about what happens in your community if you’re not giving back to the community,” Kaufman added.
