House Of Heroes To Help Berlin Marine

Information via House of Heroes

NEW BRITAIN, CT – House of Heroes Connecticut, the non-profit organization dedicated to honoring the service and sacrifice of veterans in need with one-day home repairs, will be back in familiar territory again this Saturday, assisting a 92-year-old Berlin Marine and World War II veteran, as well as the surviving spouses of two long-time, highly respected New Britain police officers who each lost battles with cancer in their later retirement years.

Saturday’s projects will begin at 8 a.m. at the 483 Toll Gate Road, Berlin home of 92-year-old Marine Eugene “Gene” Polaske, a World War II and Korean War-era veteran, and at the 99 Mansfield Avenue, New Britain home shared by Vira Riley and Evelyn Riley. Vira is the surviving spouse of New Britain Police Officer Gary Riley, who served the community for 30 years before his passing in 2014 after a long battle with cancer. Evelyn is the surviving spouse of Gary’s older brother, New Britain Police Detective Milton “Dickie” Riley, a Vietnam veteran who served as a member of New Britain’s police force for 33 years before, like his brother, also losing a battle with cancer just two weeks ago. The Riley families have owned and shared the East Side, New Britain duplex on Mansfield Avenue for nearly 50 years.

“All of our projects and all of the veterans we serve are special, but it will be particularly gratifying this weekend to not only help a member of The Greatest Generation in Berlin, but to do so on the same day we are also honoring the service and sacrifice of two highly respected and revered members of New Britain’s finest, one of whom passed only days ago,” said House of Heroes Connecticut Executive Director Dennis Buden. “Saturday is going to be a special day.”

Upwards of 40 volunteers and perhaps more combined are expected at the two projects Saturday. Both homes have aging and unsafe decks which will be entirely replaced. Additional work will include yard cleanup and landscaping as well as additional miscellaneous repairs focused on enhancing safety.

Saturday’s projects would not be possible without the support of long-time House of Heroes Connecticut (HOHCT) Project Partners PCX Aerostructures of Newington, which is expected to provide some 30 volunteers, and the Disabled American Veterans, Hardware City Chapter 8. Additional assistance is being provided by the New England Regional Council of Carpenters, Local 326, as well as the New Britain Veterans Council and City of New Britain Police Department, which both provided invaluable assistance in identifying the veterans to be served. Mission BBQ of Southington is generously providing lunch Saturday for all volunteers at both projects.

Volunteers will take a break at each project to take part in ceremonies honoring Saturday’s veteran honorees. At 11:30 a.m., New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart and Chief of Police Christopher Chute are expected to take part in a ceremony at the Riley home. At 1 p.m. in Berlin, Mayor Mark Kaczynski is expected to join in a ceremony at the Polaske home. State Senator Gennaro Bizzaro plans to be on hand for both ceremonies.

The two projects bring House of Heroes Connecticut’s total of veterans served since its 2012 founding to 123, including a project this past Tuesday at the home of a Branford Vietnam veteran. The New Britain area is familiar ground for House of Heroes Connecticut: the Riley project is the 11th project in New Britain for the organization, while the Polaske project will be HOHCT’s third in that community and second this year.

House of Heroes Connecticut recognizes, honors and serves military and public safety veterans and/or their surviving spouses for their sacrificial service to America. The organization “Makes a Difference in a Day” by providing one-day, no-cost home improvements with a priority placed on safety and accessibility. The Connecticut Chapter is part of a national organization founded in January 2000 in Columbus, Georgia; more than 1,000 veterans have been served nationwide.

For more information about House of Heroes Connecticut, to nominate a veteran, volunteer for a project or simply donate to the cause, visit www.hohct.org.