Danbury Students Fix Local Vietnam Vet’s Leaky Roof

There were buckets in her living home and basement catching rainwater.

Jennifer Tanner is a disabled Vietnam War vet who suffers from stage 4 cancer that was caused by Agent Orange which is an herbicide used to clear plants and trees during the Vietnam War. She told the NewsTimes that she was afraid her roof was going to collapse when the snow begins to fly this winter.

Tanner reached out to Daniel Hayes, the city's director of Veteran Affairs and told him about how she thought her roof was on the verge of collapsing late last spring. Hayes immediately called the assistant principal at Abbott Tech, Kevin Durkin who moved Tanner's roof issue to the #1 priority list of student's projects.

Students in Abbott Tech's Carpentry Program went to work and were able to complete the roof replacement in 30 days for less than $4,000 which included not only the materials but also the labor fee to the school. Tanner told the NewsTimes,

Everything happened very rapidly. I knew I wasn't going to make it through another winter. They gave me a new lease on life. It enables me to remain a part of my community.