A Shared Connection

A story about the extensive connections and impacts that the All Hands and Hearts community creates.

April 29, 2019

“I asked if she knew about All Hands and Hearts and if she was close to the base and she said, ‘I love All Hands and Hearts – they fixed my roof!’ so I knew my best way to put money into the local community was to stay at a local Airbnb.” – Lori O’neil

The O’neil family and their AirBnB host, Gladius

The Airbnb the O’Neil family stayed at is owned by Gladius, a homeowner in Yabucoa who was affected by Hurricane Maria. Gladius’ home suffered severe damage from Maria which resulted in numerous leaks from her ceiling. The leaks produced mold damaging the inside of her home, creating an unpleasant and damaging environment. All Hands and Hearts came to her home, fixed her roof and performed sanitation to remove the mold.

Robert Keen, a former volunteer who worked on Gladius’ home several months ago, is now a site supervisor for All Hands and Hearts

Gladius had been unsure if Airbnb was right for her – she had considered canceling her listing before she got a message from Lori. After hearing her story and her plans to volunteer with All Hands and Hearts, Gladius knew that keeping her Airbnb open was the right thing to do.

Before visiting the home, Lori had some questions. “I asked if she knew about All Hands and Hearts and if she was close to the base and she said, ‘I love All Hands and Hearts – they fixed my roof!’ so I knew my best way to put money into the local community was to stay at a local Airbnb.”

Robert Keen and the O’neil family hanging out with Glady. The connection was immediate

The O’Neill family and Gladius immediately bonded. Gladius showed the family around Yabucoa and told them how All Hands and Hearts saved her home. Having her home repaired gave Gladius the motivation to maintain her home. She started to repaint, find new furniture, and slowly turn it back into somewhere she could call home.

Gladius, the homeowner, showing the O’neil family and Robert around her home and how much it’s changed since her roof was fixed

The back of her house – a section of her home she hasn’t restored yet

The side of her house – a section she decided to restore after her home was repaired from Hurricane Maria damages

When the O’Neill family arrived on site, they mentioned that they’re staying at Gladius’ home. Their site supervisor Robert immediately recognized the name – he had worked on her home several months prior.

Robert Keen aiding Glady in walking back to her home

This was not just a rare string of consequences; instead, it’s an example of the extensive connections and impacts that the All Hands and Hearts community creates.