Before Picture of Home

Since 2014, A Fair Chance and Men of Integrity has unofficially been helping elderly women and single mothers complete repairs needed on their homes. After securing its official 501(c)(3) status in April 2017, the Ypsilanti, MI-based organization wants to grow its efforts by taking on additional projects and providing construction training for young men.

Darryl Morris, who runs the nonprofit and is a roofer with Integrity Renovations LLC, says his fellow contractors are willing to donate their time as long as they have the materials to get the job done.

Recently, a single mother, her four children and elderly father were living in a home with a badly leaking roof. A Fair Chance and Men of Integrity volunteered to provide the labor, while Atlas donated the new shingles needed for the repair.

After Atlas sales representative Dean Geer met Morris at the Atlas Roofing Roadshow in April, he was inspired to want to help the mother in need.

“I’ve never dealt with someone who cared more about a reason or cause,” Morris says. “Dean consistently called to make sure we had whatever we needed and connected us with the distributor. It was really personal. That’s what made a huge difference.”

The Atlas Difference

“I made a request for Atlas Roofing to donate 16 squares of Pinnacle® Pristine shingles featuring Scotchgard™ Protector in Pristine Desert, Atlas Summit® 60 synthetic underlayment, ProCut® Starter shingles and ProCut® Hip & Ridge shingles, which also feature Scotchgard™ Protector by 3M,” Geer says. “These products allowed the workers of A Fair Chance and Men of Integrity to use the best materials available to make the necessary repairs for this hard-working single mom and her family.”

Thanks to the shingles from Atlas and donations from other sponsors — including distributor Wimsatt Building Materials — plus the contractors’ time, A Fair Chance and Men of Integrity was able to repair the mother’s roof and rehab her water-damaged kitchen.

Building The Future

Over the past three years, Morris estimates that A Fair Chance and Men of Integrity has completed about 15 major projects, ranging from kitchen and bathroom repairs to even a bit of landscaping to help provide curb appeal.

In addition to its adult volunteers, the nonprofit also has an apprenticeship program, called Young Men of Integrity, which teaches boys between the ages of 14 and 18 how to install roofing, doors and drywall, as well as many other skills that provide them with a trade.

“With the labor shortage in the roofing industry, A Fair Chance and Men of Integrity is working with young people on learning skilled trades and, hopefully, some of these young volunteers will take up roofing-skilled trades in the future,” Geer says.

The nonprofit is also working on another program, similar to Habitat for Humanity, in which it would purchase homes, perform the required repairs, and allow people in need to stay in the home without the burden of a mortgage.

For now, at least one mom’s roofing worries are a thing of the past because she knows she has the best protection available. Because of the products used, the roof also qualifies as an Atlas Signature Select® Roofing System, which includes an enhanced protection period that increases the non-prorated labor and materials coverage, among other benefits. The warranty also includes the exclusive Atlas Lifetime Algae Resistance Limited Warranty that features Scotchgard Protector that protects against the black stains and streaks caused by algae.

For more information about Pinnacle® Pristine or other Atlas shingles, visit the Atlas Roofing website. To learn about the continued work of A Fair Chance and Men of Integrity, contact Darryl Morris.