Today on Senior Voices, we meet 87-year-old Veda Renshaw who lives in West Dayton and took part in Rebuilding Together Dayton’s Fixit Kit Program, a project that provides home rehabilitation for low-income seniors, so they can stay in their homes and live in warmth, safety and independence. Veda who moved to Dayton from Springfield in 1978, and she’s staying put, as she told Dayton Metro Library volunteer interviewer Alan Staiger.
Transcript:
Veda Renshaw (VR): I love my home, I wanna die here. I love my I’m gonna die here. I don’t wanna go to no nursing home, neither. They’d put a bed in the middle of this floor here, I’d sleep down stairs. This home here, this house was born in 1921 I think it was 1921, and trying to keep it up much as I can
Alan Staiger (AS): How has Rebuilding Together Dayton assisted you?
VR: Beautiful. Wonderful. If it wasn’t for them, I don’t know what I would do. Now I’m not going to no nursing home, that’s out. Have the nurse come here to take care of me, cause I just love my home, even though it’s old, but I love old houses. And I my kids say they gonna take care of me at home, regardless. I’m not ready to die now, right now. I wanna live to be 104 like my grandmother. And I hope I will
AS: When the Rebuilding Together Dayton volunteers arrived, what did you think or how did you feel?
VR: Feel wonderful. Feel like it’s a angel came over to my house, and they all got together and started working.
AS: What did they do first?
VR: Well, they fixed my bathroom up, I was happy. And then second time they came in and fixed my furnace, uh, replaced my furnace I was so happy, you know. Yeah, I’m really blessed to have them come in to fix my heating system here. Yeah, I’m so glad, and I hope they come back again, because I really enjoy them. Everybody come in here says, yeah these are old houses! Yeah, but I hope they come back to see me again, I’d be happy, I’d be happy if they come back to see me again.
Rebuilding Together Dayton will hold its major volunteer event, National Rebuilding Day, this Saturday, April 28.
This interview was edited by Community Voices producer Senior Voices project coordinator Jocelyn Robinson. Senior Voices is a collaboration between the Dayton Metro Library, Rebuilding Together Dayton, and WYSO. This series is made possible through the generous support of the Del Mar Healthcare Fund of the Dayton Foundation.
