When 81-year-old Lucille Kellom hired a contractor to fix her leaking roof in 2016, she never imagined she’d still be waiting for the repairs to be completed two years later.

After collecting more than $11,000 from her insurance company, the contractor never did the work, leaving the Altamonte Springs, FL, resident high and definitely not dry. Kellom was the victim of a scam.

This same scenario happens to countless homeowners every year — especially after a big storm. Unlicensed contractors roll through town offering repairs, only to take the money and run.

Atlas And Others To The Rescue

When Central Florida’s News 6 first covered Kellom’s story in April 2018, the Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors Association (FRSA) put out a call asking its members and local contractors to help.

“We do a lot with the FRSA,” says Colin Hobbs, Florida regional sales manager for Atlas Roofing. “They don’t come to you every day asking for something. So when the opportunity arises that we can help, we like to help.”

Hobbs coordinated the logistics for an Atlas donation of 30 squares of Pinnacle® Pristine shingles in Weathered Wood.

Gold Key Roofing in Orlando donated labor for the installation.

“We’re always happy to work with any of our fellow roofers, suppliers or manufacturers,” says Jeffrey Hewitt, owner and Atlas Pro™ contractor.

Gold Key prides itself on giving back to the community, often working with local nonprofits such as the Russell Home for Atypical Children (a private facility for severely disabled children) and Give Kids the World (which provides free trips for kids with critical illnesses).

“We don’t do it for the glory, we do it to help people out. I have a very strong belief that you can’t just take, you have to give back.”

After two years of living in soggy misery, Kellom can now relax under her new roof and enjoy Florida’s rainstorms without getting wet.

“I was so stressed out,” she says in the News 6 story. “I just didn’t think anybody out there would come to my rescue. I thank y’all from the bottom of my heart.”