Steve has always taken pride in his home. Built in the 1950s, it holds a lot of history for him—but over time, age and health challenges made it harder to keep up with repairs. His siding was deteriorating, vegetation in his backyard had grown out of control and clutter had started to build up both inside and outside.

On top of that, Steve had been through a lot in the past couple of years: a stroke, two cataract surgeries that left him struggling to see, and new medications that were difficult to manage consistently. These challenges impacted not only his health, but also his ability to maintain his property.
Steve’s backyard overgrowth eventually caught the attention of the city. Recognizing that Steve didn’t have the capacity or resources to address the problem, they referred him to For Columbia—a massive one-day volunteer event where churches, businesses and individuals come together to improve homes and community spaces across the city.
Steve’s Support Coordinator, Mark Eye, stepped in to help ensure he could make the most of the opportunity. Mark coordinated with For Columbia, attended home visits, and worked with Steve to identify which projects would make the biggest difference. With Mark’s support handling the details, Steve was able to focus on sharing his priorities for the home.
On April 26th, volunteers arrived ready to work. They cleared the backyard overgrowth, removed clutter inside and out, provided a large dumpster for debris, painted the exterior, and tackled other much-needed improvements. Materials like lumber and paint were donated by local businesses, and even tree removal was done at no cost to Steve. In just a few hours, his home was transformed.
For Steve, the impact was about more than fresh paint and a tidy yard—it reignited his pride. The improvements inspired him to start tackling the inside of his home as well.
“He’s always been super proud of his home, and now he’s even more excited,” Mark shared. “A week later, he was already starting to clean out and address things inside. It gave him a little motivation to fix up the rest.”
Steve has already signed up for next year’s For Columbia event, hoping to replace missing doors and make other indoor repairs.
“We still have things to work on, but I think he’s had a pretty good year,” said Mark. “We’re moving along!”