The month of April ended on a positive note Saturday with National Rebuilding Day—when homes all over the country receive renovations free of charge courtesy of the nonprofit Rebuilding Together.

Thanks to the organization's Bergen County chapter and several other sponsors, the home of Fair Lawn resident Evaristo Vicente will now be much easier for him to live in. A Korean War veteran, the 82-year-old Vicente has mobility issues and uses both a walker and a wheelchair to get around.

“[This will] definitely improve Mr. Vicente’s quality of life,” said Lynn Buckingham, outreach coordinator for Rebuilding Together Bergen County. Buckingham noted that two of the seven homes renovated on Saturday belonged to senior citizens.

“[We’re] allowing [them] to have safer homes that are more accessible, allowing them to ‘age in place,’” she said.

Having prepared in advance, volunteers from Rebuilding Together Bergen County descended on the Vicente home by 8 a.m. Sponsored by the National Administration on Aging and aided by volunteers from the local Elks Club and Electrical Union #164, the work team performed a vast array of duties.

With hand-written instructions hung up to aid workers, each section of the home both inside and out was tackled meticulously. Every room in the home was cleaned out, including the backyard and garage, which filled the Dumpster in the driveway almost immediately.

“We had this thing filled in about two hours,” said Jim Ward, who served as House Captain on the project. Plumbing was replaced in both the kitchen and bathroom, with new pipes, sinks, a shower, and a toilet. Electrical wiring was brought up to code, and state-of-the-art fire and carbon monoxide detectors with flashing lights were installed throughout the dwelling.

“It’s come a long way from what it was,” remarked Javi Ordonez, coordinator with Rebuilding Together Bergen County.

On the outside of the house, a brand-new flag now hung where an old, tattered one once was. The touching movement was made by Rich Tabachuk, a member of both the local Elks Lodge and the Army of Hope committee. “Because [Mr. Vicente] is a Korean War vet, Rich wanted to make sure that he got a new flag,” explained Jim Ward. “Because [the Korean War] is known as ‘the forgotten war.’”

Fair Lawn Mayor Lisa Swain also stopped by the work site around noon, along with her husband and daughter. “This is wonderful,” she said of the project. “I’m very impressed.” Swain took time to speak with volunteers and viewed the work being done around the home. Before leaving, she also posed for a group photograph with the work team.

For more information on Rebuilding Together of Bergen County, visit their website at www.rebuildingtogetherbergen.org.