"It's always gonna be home": Cleveland community honors Vietnam veteran & his family
CLEVELAND, Tenn. — Alvin Jackson has seen a lot of struggle in his life.
He grew up during segregation in East Tennessee.
When he was a young man, he was drafted and sent to Southeast Asia to fight in the Vietnam War.
He has battled cancer and other sickness, and for the past several years his home has been falling in.
He and his wife Zandra had buckets in the floor to catch the water leaking from the roof.
On the Price of Freedom we tell the story of why all of that is changing right in front of their eyes.
"It's a miracle, really, if you see what we was living in," Mr. Jackson said.
A group of volunteers tore the old house down, and they are building something brand new on the same property.
We told the story of Alvin and Zandra Jackson on the Price of Freedom for the first time 3 years ago.
Over the weekend a few dozen people came to the build site to love on this couple even more.
They hung notes to the Jackson's on the walls before the insulation goes in and the drywall goes up.
This was the first time the family had seen all this.
"I look around and say, wow!" Mr. Jackson said. "Where did all this come from? It wasn't here yesterday"
There were notes from those they know and love and from some people they've never met.
Many thanking Alvin for his service.
Many were bible verses.
Zandra both grew up in the home that once stood on the property
This land has been in the family for decades. As was the land just down the street.
"My grandmother like in the 50's, she had a cabin house," Zandra Jackson said.
Zandra bought the family home that her mom once owned years ago.
She saved it from foreclosure.
Now, this community is saving this place once again. Their hope is for this family to always have a home on this property
"I seen how hard she worked and I told her, mom, I never will sell it," Zandra Jackson told us. "That's what I did and I've kept the promise, and my kids is gonna keep the same promise. They never will sell it until the generations on down to the other kids, to the grandkids, is always gonna have a place for a home . This is always gonna be home."
The non profit, Operation Finally home, is behind this project as well as many local volunteers including the folks with Habitat for Humanity.
