'I must have done something right': Police Athletic League restores Lantana-area home after fire

LANTANA — For the past month and a half, Veronica Herbs has kept her home stocked with bottles of water and Gatorade and a steady supply of brownies. Every day, the 72-year-old passed them out to various volunteers: There was a crew working on her patio. Kids power washed her driveway. Others repaired her pool.

Since early June, these volunteers – organized by the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office Police Athletic League, a local chapter of a youth mentorship program – have used $50,000 in donations from community businesses and a grant from the National Association of Police Athletic Leagues to finish restoring Herbs’ home west of Lantana.

In March 2020, a house fire sparked by a faulty motorcycle battery charging in the garage destroyed the family residence.

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Veronica, who is raising son Josh, a wheelchair-dependent 33-year-old suffering from cerebral palsy, and her two grandsons, now ages 8 and 10, ushered her family out of the house. She and her husband Paul, a 76-year-old plumber, watched from the curb as flames engulfed the home they moved into in 1989.

On Wednesday, thanks to the PAL project, the Herbs family stood on the same curb, staring up at a light-blue, completely restored home. Over 100 PBSO officials, PAL volunteers and representatives from community businesses that worked on the home joined the family to celebrate.

“I must have done something right, that everybody was stepping up,” Veronica Herbs joked, overwhelmed by the community support she’s received in the last two years. “It really brings tears to my eyes.”

'Put this tragedy behind them and move forward in a positive way'

The Police Athletic League aims to prevent juvenile crime by providing youth across the country with mentorship and engaging them in community service. As a recipient of a 2022 youth mentoring grant, PBSO’s PAL chapter was tasked with completing an annual community service project.

PAL recreation specialist Midori Robbins, who oversaw the project, said the group unanimously chose to finish rebuilding the Herbs’ home, which was partially refurbished through previous donations.

“This was a way that we could celebrate and honor (the Herbs’), so that they can put this tragedy behind them and move forward in a positive way,” Robbins said.

PAL staff and youth volunteers – ages 8 to 18 – re-landscaped the front of the house, using rocks, plants, pavers, fencing and fresh paint donated from Home Depot. PAL recreation specialist Clayton Williams helped kids learn to garden, power-wash surfaces and install fencing along the side of the house.

“It’s all about, with the kids coming into our program, us trying to teach them how to cope in the world, but also how they can give back to their community,” Williams said.

Two ramps to serve family member who depends on wheelchair

Robbins contacted local businesses, and with equipment and labor donations, PAL was able to build a newly screened-in patio and clean out the backyard pool. They also constructed a wheelchair ramp from the driveway to the front door, and an emergency exit on the side of the house with a second wheelchair ramp.

Businesses such as Avante Construction, Lansing Building Products Aluminum, Rx Screening, Living Water Pool Service and other businesses came together to complete the project.

“I just think it’s important to set an example for these kids on how to give back to the community when there’s nothing really in it for us other than to see a smile on everyone’s faces,” Avante Construction President Mike Mondelli said.

PBSO’s PAL chapter left its mark on the home – a stepping stone with the PAL logo, created by young volunteers, sits at the foot of the Herbs’ new front door. Malakhi and Sebastian, the Herbs’ grandsons and the newest PAL members, were joined by around 50 other young PAL participants to celebrate the restoration of their home.

PBSO officers on motorcycles led children in a procession that ended in front of the Herbs’ house. Children presented local businesses with banners commemorating their participation in the project.

“These kids here, they’ll remember this day for their entire life,” said Kenneth Ragland, vice president of the National Association of Police Athletic Leagues, who flew in from Virginia to see the Herbs’ home. “When they drive down this street or they’re in the area, they’ll remember the contributions they made to make somebody else's life better.”

After the house fire, Veronica and her family stayed in her sister’s mobile home for seven months. At times, the family wasn’t able to all live together – for a year, Paul stayed with their daughter, while his wife, son and grandson lived in a rental home.

Veronica’s reaction to being back at her old address with her family all under the same roof was simple.

“Well,” she said, gazing across the driveway at her grandsons, “I feel fantastic.”

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: PBSO's Police Athletic League restores Lantana-area home after fire