After seeing the dire living conditions of Olympic gold medalist Bob McVey, our South Florida community stepped in to help. Heather Walker has this 7Investigates update.<\/p>\n
We first brought you the story of Olympic gold medalist Bob McVey back in March<\/a>.<\/p>\n Bob McVey: \u201cI had to put in new windows. that was like $59,000.\u201d<\/p>\n When we met Bob, he was in a financial pinch after he was scammed out of thousands of dollars. The hockey hero from 1960 Team USA had to sell his prized gold medal. It allowed him to stay in his home, but didn\u2019t allow him to fix his aging condo.<\/p>\n Worried about his safety, a good Samaritan, Anatalie Dean, reached out to 7Investigates.<\/p>\n Anatalie Dean: \u201cHis stove doesn\u2019t work, so we\u2019re not able to make meals. The bathroom, yes, he is able to go into the bathroom, but it\u2019s not easy for him.\u201d<\/p>\n When South Florida learned about his struggles, the community stepped up<\/a>.<\/p>\n Anatalie Dean: \u201cSince the story aired, our GoFundMe has gone up from $381 to almost $28,000.\u201d<\/p>\n And growing! Viewers from across the state and around the world offered to buy everything from furniture to electronics.<\/p>\n Bob McVey: \u201cIt\u2019s just so nice that the people are so good and so friendly.\u201d<\/p>\n Fellow Olympians also rushed in to offer support. Major brands like BrandsMart joined in the efforts, and Jeff Cohen, a local contractor, volunteered his services for free.<\/p>\n Jeff Cohen: \u201cWe\u2019re gonna make everything more accessible.\u201d<\/p>\n Fort Lauderdale firefighters helped with demolition.<\/p>\n Old carpets gone. Cabinets taken down.<\/p>\n John Webster, captain: \u201cI felt almost compelled that, \u2018Hey, you know, I\u2019m gonna make some phone calls and see if our department can do anything and get some volunteers out here to kind of help clean up his apartment.’\u201d<\/p>\n Classic recycling went beyond picking up his trash. They brought a custom dumpster.<\/p>\n Phillip Allocca: \u201cWe wanted to do something extra special to honor Bob. We dedicated his dumpster just for him.\u201d<\/p>\n After the old was out, Little Wolf Carpentry got to work.<\/p>\n Bob had to move out during construction, but Palm Aire Senior Living Community offered temporary housing.<\/p>\n Linda Ramroop, Palm Aire Senior Living Community: \u201cWe found out about Mr. Bob through a mutual community partner, and we were excited to help him in his journey.\u201d<\/p>\n In a few weeks, the condo was ready for Bob to move back in.<\/p>\n [Bob enters remodeled condo for first time]<\/p>\n Bob, Olympian: \u201cIt\u2019s so beautiful! Oh my God. This is unbelievable. I can\u2019t believe this!\u201d<\/p>\n The old kitchen was fully replaced. New floors were laid throughout the unit. The bedroom got a brand-new bed from El Dorado Furniture, and the broken bathroom was upgraded to better fit his needs.<\/p>\n People also gifted Bob a new recliner, paintings, restored photos, and other decor for his home.<\/p>\n Bob McVey: \u201cHow happy I am to have people that are so nice like this, that help me.\u201d<\/p>\n Anatalie is happy that Bob is comfortable again.<\/p>\n Anatalie Dean: \u201cNow, he has everything in place for him to be able to stay in place.\u201d<\/p>\n Caretakers can now cook Bob a warm meal and be grateful he has a safe place to sit and enjoy his favorite Fort Lauderdale view.<\/p>\n Bob is still financially recovering. If you would like to help, click here for his GoFundMe page<\/a>. <\/p>\n