Adele
Lester of Ellenwood, Ga., tries out her new Pekoe kitchen faucet while
GreenPlumber Nick Marine watches her reaction.
WhenAdele Lestersent her 23-year-old son, SpecialistWalter Lester, off to war, she hoped it wouldn’t be the last time she would see him. Her worst nightmare nearly came true, though, when she received a call that Walter was involved in a roadside bomb attack in Afghanistan. He was seriously injured but was the only one of his five-member company to survive.
The soldier’s mother, a 50-year old Ellenwood, Ga., resident, now spends her time traveling back and forth from her home in Atlanta to Washington, D.C.’s Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
“Ms. Lester has spent so much time taking care of others that she hasn’t had a chance to take care of the little things around the house,” saysAngie Hicks, founder of Angie’s List. “That’s where the Wishmakers program and its group of highly rated service professionals step in to help those in need.”
Nick Marine, owner of Marietta, Ga.-basedMarine Plumbingand a certified GreenPlumber, jumped at the chance to help a wounded warrior. Marine, a retired U.S. Navy Senior Chief, agreed to donate his services to replace Lester’s kitchen sink and install a garbage disposal, a small luxury she has never had.
“There was never a question in my mind as to whether or not I was going to help out,” Marine says. “I’m always privileged to help those in need.”
The
professionals who donated their time to fix up Adele Lester’s kitchen were all
veterans. Pictured are (from left to right): Tony Little; Adele and her
grandson; Adam Rotter; Tony Blanca; and Nick Marine.
“The best part is making life a little easier for Adele during this most trying time,” says American Standard CEODon Devine. “We are thankful for her son’s service to our nation.”
Adele Lester’s caretaking didn’t stop with her own children. Her mother and disabled brother currently live with her, and she recently made room in her home for Walter Lester’s two small children, a toddler and an infant. She is now the guardian of the children so her daughter-in-law can be by Walter’s side.
“Adele has always put others’ needs ahead of her own,”Vicki Lesterwrote when she nominated her sister for theAngie’s List Wishmakers program. “As a single woman, she adopted three teenage boys, including Walter, from Atlanta’s foster-care system. She is always the first to help when it is needed. She does it with a smile on her face and never expects anything in return.”
Since 2004, Angie’s List, a provider of consumer ratings on local service companies, has partnered with its service providers to grant wishes across the country. Nominations are accepted via e-mail atWishmakersRequests@angieslist.com.
Photos courtesy of American Standard
