G. Fedale Roofing & Siding Blog

Police officer, firefighter, or teacher: These are some of the responses one may expect to hear from a child when asked about community helpers. But when Kai Domanski, a second grader at Odyssey Charter School in Wilmington, was given the assignment he chose a roofer – specifically, a roofer at G.Fedale Roofing & Siding.

“After I read him the suggestions listed, he shook his head and said, ‘None of those. I want to work at G. Fedale like my dad,’ and that it’s the first school project he’s ever been excited for,” said Kai’s stepmom Colleen. His response was completely unprompted, she said.

Through his father, Kai has seen firsthand the difference G. Fedale Roofing & Siding has made in the community. In his essay, Kai mentions the Roofs from the Heart program and the company’s philanthropic efforts during the Christmas season.

“It’s an honor to work at a company that goes out of its way to give back to our community and people in need. We are able to set a great example of giving back for our children,” said Kai’s dad Jacob.

“The reasons I want to work at G. Fedale Roofing is that I like to build things, I want to help others, and I want to work with my Dad.”

When the holiday season rolls around, people think about presents, parties and family get-togethers.

But there are those who do not have resources for even necessities like shelter.

It was at a leadership team meeting at G. Fedale Roofing and Siding when members realized that they have helped a lot of individuals who could not afford housing get a roof over their heads.

The business is owned and operated by three brothers, Glenn, Adam, and Allen Fedale. It has focused on charitable giving as one of its core values since they began in 2002 and decided they wanted to do something more consistently for their community.

That is when Roof Benefiting Individuals program (RBI), now known as Roofs from the Heart Foundation, was born.

“We wanted to do something proactive,” said Andy Hudson, the chief operating officer. “We could somehow put the word out there and give one roof away.”

After pairing with the Wilmington Blue Rocks, the company was able to spread the word and ended up receiving over 400 applications and nominations this past summer. Applicants were narrowed to three finalists and their stories were posted on the company’s Facebook page. The nominee with the most shares, likes and comments on their story would win the contest.

The winners were Sophia Denisio, an ambulance worker in Philadelphia diagnosed with colon cancer; Erin Ryan, a mother of two who just lost her husband to Ewing sarcoma; and Nancy Lemus, a mother of a disabled 11-year-old boy.

Lemus, from New Castle County, wrote G. Fedale telling her story. She cares for her son, Christopher, and his health issues led her to quit her job.

“I lost 80 percent of my income and ended up having really bad credit because of it,” said Lemus. “It took me seven years to recover.”

Originally, Lemus saw on Facebook that she did not win, but later was told that all three finalists had won. Caring for her son has been her biggest priority and the roof was last on her list of things to try and fix, she said.

“It was something I did not have to worry about, because I don’t have a penny for anything,” said Lemus. “Now I know my child has a safe home to live in.”

The people at G. Fedale treated her like any paying customer, said Lemus. She signed a contract for zero dollars, was given the same choices as any other customer, high-end shingles, and a 50-year warranty.

Lemus spread the word about G. Fedale and how fortunate she was for winning. She told a friend, Diana Bandak, and encouraged her to apply for the next contest.

Lemus was a previous caregiver to Bandak’s sister, Lily, who has multiple sclerosis and is a quadriplegic. Now Bandak is the primary caregiver of Lily and their mother who suffers from stage seven Alzheimer’s.

Bandak and her family have lived in their Newark home for 50 years. She moved to California for work and brought her mother and her sister out there for a few years until the house came back up for sale. They then decided to move back to their family home because they missed Delaware, said Bandak.

She is now on an unpaid leave of absence from her job working with adults with disabilities in California and spends her time caring for her mother and sister. One day her roof began to leak, and after receiving estimates that she could not afford, she wrote to G. Fedale asking for help.

With the assistance of the community and a network of previous businesses and employers, the Bandak family was awarded the free roof for the fall cycle of the program.

“The company is all about family,” said Bandak. “They do so much for the community because of how fortunate they are and I could not be more grateful.”

Read the full article at Delaware Online.

Three area families are beneficiaries of new roofs courtesy of G. Fedale Roofing & Siding thanks to winning the Wilmington company’s RBI contest. While the original intent was to giveaway one roof, the personal stories of the contest’s three finalists struck a chord with the Fedale team. All three received new roofs this summer with G. Fedale Roofing & Siding picking up the $30,000 tab. In kind donations of materials also came from ABC Supply’s local distributor in Elsmere and G. Fedale’s preferred roofing manufacturer GAF for materials. Republic Services donated waste removal services.

Roof Benefiting an Individual (RBI) was aptly announced at a Blue Rocks minor-league baseball game in the spring. Both the Wilmington baseball team and G. Fedale Roofing & Siding strongly rely on the local community, said owner Glenn Fedale, so the partnership was a natural. The Fedale team narrowed a field of 400 applicants to three finalists and then asked the three to post their individual stories and pictures of their current roofs on social media. The finalist with the most likes, shares, or comments would be declared the winner.

With over 4,000 respondents, Erin Ryan of Wilmington was the winning recipient according to the contest rules. Her husband Tim had been diagnosed with terminal cancer in the fall. Prior to his diagnosis, replacement of the family’s roof had been a priority for this summer.
“It’s something I don’t have to worry about when I have so many other things to focus on,” Erin said, referring to her new roof. She added, “I felt like God blessed us with their generosity.”

While the Ryan’s situation was heartbreaking, the personal stories of the Lemus family and the DeNisio family equally moved the Fedale team. Nancy Lemus had drained her finances renovating her New Castle home in order to make it handicapped accessible for her special needs son. Meanwhile, 29-year-old Sophia DeNisio of Philadelphia had to quit work once she learned she had been diagnosed with colon cancer. The leaky roof of her 1979 row-home had caused damage to an interior wall and her bedroom floor.

“I can’t imagine a company or person doing this for one person, let alone three. It makes you appreciate just how good people really are,” she said of G. Fedale Roofing & Siding.The experience was a win-win, as the Fedale team reaped the intangible rewards of giving back. “After meeting the families and getting to know them, the overwhelming feeling of gratitude from them was a priceless experience. I’m grateful we have the resources and outreach portals to do things like this. We will definitely do it again in the future,” Glenn Fedale said.

G. Fedale Roofing & Siding is no stranger to philanthropy, and the company name is known far and wide for its civic involvement. Examples include local little league sponsorship and American Heart Association sponsorship as well as financial contributions to the Leukemia Lymphoma Society and child-abuse prevention programs. Moreover, the company donates leftover building materials to Habitat for Humanity.

With Delaware offices in Wilmington and Lewes, along with a Pennsylvania office in North Wales, G. Fedale Roofing & Siding has a regionally strong foothold in the industry. The company has received several prestigious awards, and was ranked as one of the top 100 roofing contractors in the U.S. by Roofing Contractor magazine.

We’re excited to announce that G. Fedale is among the nominees for Best Roofer by The News Journal Readers Choice. Click here to vote for G. Fedale at The News Journal Readers Choice site.

As always, thanks for your support.