EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — A little over a month ago, Rita Yorgensen lost sleep over the state of her home. A month later, the roof and outside of her home are completely repaired.
Rita Yorgensen’s roof used to cave in. An El Paso-based roofing company helped her repair it with community funds.
Top Dog Roofing started a GofundMe to help Rita save her home. After ABC-7 met with Rita about a month ago donations skyrocketed to more than $7,000.
Rita Yorgensen’s roof used to cave in. An El Paso-based roofing company helped her repair it with community funds.
ABC-7 went to visit Rita Tuesday, who is in disbelief the community saved her home.
“I was getting rained on in the kitchen,” Yorgensen recalled. “I thought I couldn’t cook anymore… I just wanted to stay here. I prayed for someone to come along and have someone knock at the door. And God heard that prayer.”
That knock came from Top Dog Roofing. Recognizing the dire situation, owner Eric Pedraza and his team stepped in to help, launching a GoFundMe campaign to raise the funds needed for repairs.
“Faith or fear both require you to stand on something you can’t see,” Pedraza said. “So I was just standing on the thought that my city would show up for Rita. And they did.”
After ABC-7 first aired Yorgensen’s story, donations skyrocketed from $680 to over $7,000 in less than 24 hours. Yorgensen watched in disbelief as the numbers climbed.
“I couldn’t believe it. It kept going up a thousand and we watched it,” Yorgensen said. “It was just amazing that people would do that for me. I couldn’t get over it… I said it would never happen, you know, I didn’t see how it was going to happen. But look, it happened.”
For Pedraza, seeing the community rally around a neighbor in need was a powerful reminder of the city’s character.
“El Paso, you absolutely did what I knew you were capable of,” Pedraza said. “I always talk about the heart of this city, and you showed up and exemplified exactly the type of people that are here… This is the fruits of your donations, of your time, just of your love, really. That’s where it all came from.”
Top Dog Roofing was able to provide much more than just a leak-free roof. The team completed a full home transformation, installing new skirting, brand-new steps, new bathroom flooring, and a fresh coat of exterior paint.
“When they were knocking, I was in the living room hearing all the noise… praise God, all the noise that they were fixing it. Wow, I love that sound,” Yorgensen laughed.
Pedraza noted that watching the burden lift off Yorgensen made the grueling labor worth every minute.
“She’s like a completely different person,” Pedraza shared. “She was in dire straits, on the verge of really being homeless… now you can feel that burden’s been lifted. When there’s a different factor motivating you, it feels more like community building rather than work.”
“I just want to thank them all,” Yorgensen said. “I love you all. God bless you. It’s a miracle that people would come to rescue me… God’s got wonderful people out there.”