La côte du Golfe devient plus résistante grâce au partenariat constructif entre l'acteur Anthony Mackie, le prochain « Captain America » de l'univers cinématique Marvel et GAF. Over the last year, as part of the GAF Community Matters initiative, GAF and Mackie partnered to re-roof 500 storm-damaged homes and empower local workforce resiliency through tuition-free GAF Roofing Academy trainings.
The 500th roof was recently installed in New Orleans, Mackie's hometown. "A year ago today we started this," he notes, "And to say that, exactly 365 days later, we finished our 500th roof is pretty astonishing. It shows the commitment of everybody who has been a part of this project and made this dream come true."
Rebuilding Roofs and Empowering Communities
Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Gulf Region suffered a string of devastating natural disasters, and many residents found themselves unable to make the needed repairs to their homes before the next storm caused more damage. Ending this cycle and building more resilient communities is a main focus of the GAF Community Matters initiative.
"We're not only putting roofs over the heads of people that need them," GAF's Chief Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility Officer Andy Hilton explains. "We're also building those roofs in a way that can sustain through the next storm, using state-of-the-art roofing materials that will provide the sustainability, the comfort and the security these families deserve."
Safe roofs mean greater resilience, both for the homes and businesses they shelter as well as the individuals who inhabit them. Rebuilding and restoring damaged roofs fosters long-term resilience.
Strengthening the Workforce
In addition to re-roofing 500 new homes in the Gulf Region, GAF committed to provide community members with training around essential roofing skills through the GAF Roofing Academy. The program helps train individuals to support future rebuilding efforts in communities impacted by severe weather and acts as a pipeline for skilled labor, which is currently in high demand.
"The labor trade is in desperate need of bodies," notes GAF Roofing Academy Instructor Gary Pierson. This is especially true in the storm-ravaged Gulf Region.
Mackie a participé à la formation de la GAF Roofing Academy à la Nouvelle-Orléans, composée de cours théoriques et pratiques. As the son of a roofer, he has lots of prior experience and understands the transformative power of skilled work. "Learning a trade like roofing is one thing that can help a community come back, that can help a neighborhood come back, that can help a family come back," Mackie says.
The courses are open to anyone looking to enter or re-enter the workforce, including the underemployed, formerly incarcerated, veterans, and others who may face career barriers. The GAF Roofing Academy offers tuition-free, hands-on roofing training to those interested in learning the trade from industry experts. Ultimately, students are equipped with the skills needed to enter the roofing trade and the program assists in placing them in well-paying jobs upon graduation.
"Teaching the next generation the roofing trade not only helps GAF Community Matters toward their mission, it helps the neighborhoods and the regions they're in," Mackie notes."Knowing the roofing trade provides the opportunity for financial security for you and your family."
Looking Forward
The Gulf Region project hit a milestone when Mr. Joe, a New Orleans resident of over 60 years, had the 500th roof installed on his long-time family home. But it's certainly not the closing scene.
"This is only the beginning," Mackie shares, after sitting with Mr. Joe on his porch to celebrate the new roof. "Even though we've hit our 500th house today and the stories of all these homeowners are so amazing, there's still so much more to do."
The efforts will be ongoing. GAF will continue to strengthen the region by helping residents feel safe in their homes and comfortable in their communities.
Curious to learn more about this project and other initiatives GAF is involved in? Explore GAF Community Matters.
