Poverty Matters.  You know that the cost of poverty affects all of us and not just those who live below the poverty line.  You know the difference between talk and action when it comes to poverty in the Coulee Region.  With Couleecap's help people from our community are overcoming obstacles, improving their lives, and building for the future.

Weatherizaton Works Wonders - A Client Success Story
Orla May Brown is a fascinating, fun loving elder lady residing in a 100
year old farm house that was the original Post Office of her home town. She describes
her home as "lived in", a clean and welcoming hub of family activity.Her kitchen
cupboards are as original as her love infused home-cooking. Her family is always
close by, ready to nibble her famous molasses cookies and lovingly warn "Don’t
you dare get new cupboards", when she wonders if her lil’ kitchen needs new flare.

Challenge: Orla struggles with what she calls a "little disability" stemming from a
bad ankle injury that required a triple fusion in 1997. Her ankle never healed
properly and Orla admits "I walk with a hitch in my git-along." With her house
situated on an incline, she now utilizes a ramp to make grocery trips a little easier.
Her beloved home presented a few challenges, as the basement collected excess
moisture, in fact, all of her canned goods would start to rust after a few weeks in
the damp environment and mold reigned supreme. Due to a leaky exterior door,
Orla had to wrap her kitchen pipes up in old towels to prevent them from freezing.
Also freezing? The rest of her home which had no insulation whatsoever.

Solution: Mark Johnson conducted an energy audit that proved Orla’s home required
over 70 bags of cellulose insulation, a new interior basement door, and
aggressive air sealing measures. After addressing all of the insulation needs, the
crews also wrapped her water pipes, installed a CO2 sensor, Smoke Detectors,
and 33 new CFL bulbs throughout her home. Behind-the-scenes office staff
worked with sub-contractors to install a new hot water heater, rewire the electric
in her attic, and repair Orla’s chimney.

Results: Orla was amazed from the immediate results of weatherization "Warm
toes and no more freezing pipes!" Increasing the safety of her home while she
used her wood furnace was vital. "I never knew about CO2 sensors, but Mark told
me that he wanted me to be safe". Orla beamed. Orla is a vibrant woman, gracious,
and strong. She left me with a final reminder to us all: "We need to remember
that we don’t need "things" to make us happy. We need warmth, good food,
and to help each other out". Then she invited me over for a molasses cookie.