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January 24, 2002
Get out that repair list - Peter Brady and crew will do whatever is necessary — free
Get out that repair list
Peter Brady and crew will do whatever is necessary — free
By Pamela Brown SPECIAL TO THE NEWS-TIMES
Erin Kiernan
The Handy Dandy Handyman, Peter Brady. His idea to perform general home maintenance for those in need is linked to the social concerns ministry at his church, St. Joseph’s in Brookfield. At first, seniors were the primary focus. Now, anyone can call and get help.
BROOKFIELD — Fixing leaky faucets. Painting. Cleaning out basements. Repairing storm doors. Peter Brady has been there, done that. And
still is.
As founder of the 3-year old Handy Dandy Handyman, Brady and his volunteer crew perform general household maintenance for people in need.
“I’m healthy and can do things,” says Brady, 61, of Brookfield. “I’ve been given a great family and financial independence, and I wanted to give back.”
Brady retired in 2000 after 38 years with Nestle USA where he was director of purchasing. A year before, he approached the Rev. Larry Carroll of Saint Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Brookfield with the idea of doing household repairs for others.
Bob Deierlain admires the work Brady and crew have done so far.
“It was a mutual decision,” says Carroll. “We have a social concerns ministry at the church to meet the physical and emotional needs of our parish family, and Peter is the hands-on part of the ministry. ... It started with helping the seniors and it mushroomed.”
While still at Nestle, Brady worked weekends on handyman jobs. Since his retiring, he has focused his full attention on helping people who genuinely need assistance — senior citizens, young couples -- regardless of whether they are members of the church.
“The Handyman service is spiritually motivated,” says Carroll. “Peter believes he’s being guided to do this. If there’s a need, Peter will try to meet it.”
Word of mouth has taken Brady all over Connecticut, including New Fairfield, Bethel, Shelton and Wilton and as far as White Plains and Chappaqua, N.Y.
Brady and volunteers Ann Deigan, left, and his wife, Carol Ann, paint a downstairs room in the home of Bob and Mary Deierlain in Brookfield.
“The Lord said, ‘Help those who need you,’” says Brady. “... I look at the job, and if it’s something I can do, we do the job.”
Brady works three to five days a week and sometimes seven. Before taking on a job, he gives potential customers a three-page flier explaining who he is, the jobs he has done — and that there is no charge for either the labor or materials.
However, Brady appreciates a donation to Saint Joseph’s Sharing Box, used to purchase supplies for further jobs.
No job is too small or too big.
“I can do two or three jobs a day,” he says, “depending on what needs to be done. It can be a major paint job or as small as changing mousetraps.”
On one job, Brady spent $2,000 on a new stove, carpeting and renovations for a family in need.
“I connected the stove and sat there for four hours listening to the woman’s story,” says Brady “Sometimes I do a half-hour job and I stay two hours to talk about their life, family. It’s a benefit. I get to know them and they become friends.”
Joan Forrester, a senior citizen in Brookfield, recently hired Brady to paint her porch, move a cord of wood and fix her toilet. “When I was at an AARP meeting I heard his speech. It was amazing to me seeing someone do this in a community. I gave him a call, and he’s very easy to talk to. He looks at the job to see if he can do it. It took him a couple of hours to fix my toilet. It was a tedious job and he never complained. ... I”ll definitely use him again for other jobs,” says Forrester. “He’s a wonderful, friendly, genuinely nice person.”
Through meeting Brady, says Forrester, she has enlarged her social circle. She volunteers her time at various Saint Joseph activities, although she is not a member of the church. “It’s good for me,” she says. “I’ve met some really nice women.”
John Waurishuk, 39, of Brookfield, has been a volunteer with the Handyman service for more than a year. “Ten of us always volunteer regularly, and I’m one of the 10. I work about one to two days a week with him. ... Sometimes he gets 30 to 40 people for a job.”
Last year, 81-year-old Mary Smith of Brookfield helped Brady paint a house.
Waurishuk recently worked with Brady to clean out a basement, paint and replace siding for a woman with multiple sclerorsis, and he recalls the day a man called to explain that a group he hired to sing Christmas carols at his daughter’s wedding had canceled.
“Pete heard about it and he had 10 of us singing at her reception,” says Waurishuk.
“One time at a big paint job he made it a big event and brought a hot-dog cart. He brought the church closer together. I wouldn’t have met half the people I’ve met without being a volunteer. He does more than the work. He goes beyond,” says Waurishuk.
Brady encourages youth to participate. “Today, kids get such bad raps. I do jobs on Saturdays just so they can help. And I’ve had 52 kids from the religious education group volunteer,” says Brady.
Local Girl Scout troops and Brookfield High sports teams number among his volunteers.
“The key is to motivate people by making the event fun,” says Brady. “On jobs we wear red Handyman T-shirts with Proud to be a Volunteer and customers get one that says Proud to be a Customer. Red is the color of the Holy Spirit and it keeps us all together. At the end of the year I name a volunteer of the year to anyone who showed a lot of effort.”
Ross Craig, a senior at Brookfield High, got the first one.
“I’ve been volunteering since sixth grade,” says Craig. “He e-mails me jobs and I go with him. Over the summer I painted a house or two, a porch, and cleaned gutters. I see people smile, and they’re thrilled when they see the work he’s done. He’s a very caring person.”
Brady is always thinking of ways to bring people together. He started an annual Rake and Bake six years ago. Last year, 217 volunteers from the church gathered to rake the yards of senior citizens. Brady also organizes field trips for Saint Joseph’s 55+ Club, and he is in charge of 31 families who maintain the grounds of the Saint Joseph”s Grotto on Route 25. “It’s a beautiful way for families to participate, and they totally love it,” says Brady.
His giving spirit reaches beyond the church. He hosts a local Christmas sing-along that he started 28 years ago. And he along with St. Joseph parishioners and Nestle employees have brought holiday music and gifts to nursing homes in Kent and New Milford for seven years.
He also volunteers once a month at the Dorothy Day Hospitality House in Danbury. “I’m on a team and serve dinner. I stay overnight on a Friday, and I do laundry and check the people in. In the morning I serve coffee,” says Brady. “The key is each time I go I bring someone different with me — a high school kid or an adult — and they love it.”
To honor Brady’s efforts, the Brookfield Rotary Club awarded him its 2000 Volunteer of the Year, and in December I-95 FM named him Man of the Year. “We wanted to do something positive, so for two weeks, me and my partner, Omelette, asked listeners to nominate, via e-mail, a regular everyday guy who goes beyond. And Brady’s name came up the most,” says Ethan Carey, host of I-95’s rock ‘n’ roll radio show.
When not volunteering, Brady enjoys spending time with his wife of 32 years, Carol Ann, and their three daughters, Robyn, Ellen and Kerri, all of whom are volunteers. “It’s a family affair,” says Brady. He enjoys racquetball and has set up a yearly tournament at the Brookfield YMCA.
Brady says his joy in the job comes from “instant gratification. The satisfaction of feeling good about what I’m doing and filling a need for someone. Sometimes for just 10 minutes of my time and $8 I can fix something for someone. It’s those little things — a stuck window or a broken smoke alarm. It’s just the fact that I’m giving back to the Lord what he gave me.”
To volunteer with the Handy Dandy Handyman, e-mail Brady at Peterbrady26@aol.com
Posted by hdhm at January 24, 2002 06:43 PM