Alexander City police officer, veteran surprised with major home renovation

DADEVILLE, Ala. (WSFA) - An Alexander City police officer and veteran is being thanked in a big way for his service to the community and country.

Staff Sgt. Donald McCook was greeted by a caravan of law enforcement officers at his home Thursday morning with a big surprise – his home is getting a major renovation.

“I can’t even put into words how to say thank you,” McCook said in disbelief. “I never expected anything like this. I don’t ask anybody for anything. There is plenty of other people out there that deserve this and could use this just as much if not more than I can, but thank you very much.”

Over the next three days, about 45 volunteers will be at his home to replace his roof, pressure wash, paint, landscape and more.

McCook was having trouble filing an insurance claim for his roof that needed repairs, and Dunning Roofing CEO Andrew McGreer knew the community needed to do something to help.

“It was a lot of money to fix it and was well beyond what we anticipated and so I decided to say, ‘Look there are people in life who deserve things and as a purple heart recipient, I just knew we needed to do something for this man,’” McGreer said.

It’s a thank you for his dedication, commitment, and sacrifice to the community and country. He served for 15 years in the Alabama National Guard’s 214th Military Police Company in Alex City and is a Purple Heart recipient after being wounded in Iraq.

“All I’ve done is just try to be a good person and do the right thing and served when I need to serve,” McCook said.

“You’re not going to find anybody more selfless and more giving than Donald McCook,” said retired Sgt. 1st Class Jose Garcia with the 214th Military Police Company. “No matter what his ailments are or what his illnesses are he’s going to continue to work and give to his other soldiers as he does for his community as a police officer.”

The total monetary value of the project is about $50,000.

The home makeover was made possible by Dunning Roofing, Mortgage Pro, Big Fish Real Estate Group, United Way, Lake Martin Civitan Club and Team Depot, a group of Home Depot Veterans.

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