Habitat for Humanity got a veteran a new roof. Now she’s inspired to help others

In a quiet Island Lake neighborhood, retired U.S. Army veteran Robin Waltrip worked on trimming the new siding for her home. As a recipient of Habitat for Humanity of McHenry County’s critical home repair program, she has insisted on helping out with her repairs.

“They’ve been a blessing,” Waltrip said of the housing charity.

Before Habitat for Humanity’s help, Waltrip was living with a leaky roof, poorly insulated siding, a basement that would flood, and a decaying deck with wobbly stairs. All of those ailments were cured after weeks of volunteer help and about $20,000 in repairs, Habitat for Humanity of McHenry County home repair coordinator Kal Rihawi said. Waltrip was most excited for her deck to be repaired so her five grandkids could play outside without safety worries.

“I did a happy dance,” she said.

Waltrip moved to her Island Lake home with her husband, Clifton Waltrip, in 2017. After Clifton, who was also an Army veteran, died two years ago, Waltrip soon was connected with Veterans Path to Hope in Crystal Lake, a nonprofit that provides assistance and resources to vets in need. It was at the group’s weekly meeting that Waltrip’s home repair issues became known, and fellow veterans suggested she reach out to Habitat for Humanity.

In the spring, Waltrip received a new roof through the Owens Corning Foundation and its Roof Deployment Project, which provided materials, and Feldco, a platinum roofing contractor that supplied the labor.

All of the construction equipment and rigorous repairs didn’t scare off Waltrip from helping. As a former heavy equipment operator in the Army, she knows her way around bulldozers and forklifts. Waltrip was active and in the Reserves from 1976 to 2002 and was a member of the Women’s Army Corps. At 5 feet 2, inches tall, she had to prove herself physically and mentally to the men in service, who quickly learned not to mess with her.

“I did it because I wanted to,” she said of joining the Army. “I did it because I love my country.”

Women like Waltrip proved that female soldiers could perform the same tasks as men. She said she was “having the best time of my life.” In 1987, Waltrip became a drill sergeant in a Reserves unit, deploying where needed, and held that position until retiring, she said.

“It’s like being a mom seeing [the Reservists] graduate,” she said. “I’d be proud as a peacock.”

Dozens of people, many women, volunteered to help repair Waltrip’s home because they were inspired by her and her story, including Island Lake Mayor Richard McLaughlin, Rihawi said. Waltrip helped alongside the volunteers and regularly posted online to share the progress Habitat made along the way because she is “really appreciative.”

“Kal let me help, even though I got in the way a couple of times,” she said.

To keep helping veterans like Waltrip, Habitat for Humanity needs more volunteers for repairs and builds. The organization received over $1.2 million in county and federal grants this year and is trying to get as many projects done as possible, Rihawi said. The organization started doubling the amount of veteran homes it repairs, even as one of the smallest offices to handle that many projects. Rihawi said the group has done more than 40 repairs this year, “shattering records.”

With the fixes finished at Waltrip’s home, she said she now plans to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity in the future on other projects.

“A lot of people need help,” Rihawi said. “It’s not as impossible to help as people may think.”