DALLAS – Curtis Callahan, an Army veteran who served in Vietnam, has seen his share of pain. But the tears he shed on Tuesday were different.
He was overcome with emotion when he saw his newly-rebuilt home for the first time since it burned in a fire on Sept. 11, 2012.
“Everything was tarnished, but no more. No more. Unlivable. But now," Callahan said, "I’m home again."
He was burned that day trying to save his home, near Inwood and Lovers Lane.
For years, he lived in a small apartment nearby and tried to rebuild the home himself. He prayed every day. And one fateful day last year, he connected with Rebuilding Together of Greater Dallas.
Volunteers started working on Callahan’s home last year -– three years to the day it burned.
“It’s just amazing. God is good," Callahan said. "To see what I see today is magnificent."
Volunteers didn’t just rebuild Callahan’s home. They reinforced his faith.
“When we first met him, he wouldn’t look at you. You could tell he was a man with troubles on his mind," said Dennis Luellen, executive director of Rebuilding Together of Greater Dallas. "[T]hrough this process, we have seen a whole new Curtis emerge."
Rebuilding Together of Greater Dallas partners with other organizations to rebuild homes for low-income veterans, elderly, and disabled individuals.
“Simply speechless, to see it from where it was to where it is now,” Callahan said. “Unbelievable. Makes you want to thank God I’m American.”
When volunteers started rebuilding Callahan's home, it helped kick off an unprecedented project to begin work on 60 homes for local veterans in 60 days. If you would like to find out more, click here.
