Green Bay Packers alumni Leroy Butler and Mark Tauscher on Tuesday, Oct. 11, joined Tundraland Home Improvements to remodel the bathrooms of two Wisconsin veterans.
The alumni appearances were a surprise to both homeowners, one in Madison and the other in De Pere. Butler and Tauscher provided assistance during the remodels, took photos and surprised both recipients with signed Packers memorabilia.
For the recipient of the complementary remodel in Madison, the bathroom upgrades delivered a much-needed update to increase accessibility.
Green Bay Packers alumni surprised veteran's families in De Pere and Madison on Tuesday with some much-needed home remodels, courtesy of the Packers and Tundraland. Photos by Abbey Spierings and Brandon Lemke.
Adam Guess of Madison is a third-generation U.S. Marine and the single father of two teenage daughters. Anna, the eldest of the two girls, has Rett Syndrome, an extremely rare genetic disorder that causes Anna to be nonverbal and immobile. The Guess' home bathroom, however, was not handicap accessible and often created safety challenges for the family.
With the help of Tundraland and Tauscher, a new walk-in shower was installed over the course of one day that now allows Anna to safely use the shower.
Additionally, another bathroom remodel enlisted the aid of Packers alumnus Butler to lend a helping hand to De Pere resident Bonnie Zak as she faces grief following the loss of her husband.
Zak met her late husband Robert on a blind date shortly before Robert was deployed to Vietnam during the Vietnam War. They continued to write more than 300 letters to each other over the course of the 12 months that Robert was overseas, and they got married shortly after he returned.
Throughout their marriage, Robert faced multiple types of cancer and beat each of them, yet still had several accessibility challenges. To help with these obstacles, Steve Buelow, Tundraland Home Improvements' lead bath designer, met with the Zaks in September to design their dream bathroom together.
Though Robert passed away earlier this month after a battle with pancreatic cancer, Tundraland Home Improvements continued with the bath makeover with the help of Packers alumnus LeRoy Butler. Robert couldn't see the dream become a reality but Zak said he would have loved the upgrade and the fact that Butler surprised the group to lend a hand.
"Veterans and their families have given the ultimate sacrifices to defend our freedoms and it is our duty to offer assistance to them whenever possible," Brian Gottlieb, Tundraland president and owner, said. "No family should have to struggle with accessibility to basic daily needs, and we're proud to help make life a little easier for these two families."
