The Story Of Our First Veteran’s Day Giveaway

Our Veteran’s Day Giveaway: Case Study

See How A Well-Deserving Family Touched The Lives
Of Our Shugarman’s Bath Team

This is a heartwarming case study for us because it was part of a Veteran’s Day Giveaway with The Special Liberty Project. Typically, they help military families by holding and sponsoring outdoor activities, but for this project, they decided to team up with us and do something extra-special.

“We ran a program to help a deserving family, or a veteran, get a free complete shower & tub remodel. After we got several entries, we found a perfect family. Most of these families, Gold Star Families as they’re called, have gone through more than ANY family should go through in three lifetimes.”

Along with a huge aesthetic upgrade, we were also excited that their new bathroom would be safer and offer FAR more functionality…value they were having trouble getting on their own.

How Did Jewel Find Out About The Giveaway?

Through social media. She was just scrolling through her feeds and happened to see a post about the giveaway one of her friends shared. She read it so many times back and forth because at first, she didn’t know whether she could apply as the widow of a fallen soldier.

To be honest, it’s a common challenge for folks in her situation. Benefits tend to go directly to veterans, but sometimes it can be tough for the family of a veteran who’s passed. They don’t get much support (a heartfelt shoutout to the Special Liberty Project for helping Gold Star families!).

When she found out she could enter she was really excited!

Of course, Jewel needed to know what kind of bathroom was being given away. So, she found her way to our posts of completed bathroom remodels. We wanted people to get an idea of the quality of a new bath/shower enclosure and the overall workmanship involved.

• Visit Our Shower Gallery
• Visit Our Bathtub Gallery
• Visit Our Walk-In Tub Gallery

When she saw the walk-in showers, she said to herself,

“Yeah, that’s a great idea. Especially if my son needs to go through another leg surgery. And mom’s going to love it!”

What Were Jewel And Her Family Using Before

“We had an old shower with a tub, installed when the home was originally built, but it had a flaw in it.”

There was a hole, which had been patched a few times over the years. And little did she know it, but there was another surprise waiting for us when we went to take the tub out and demo the area down to the studs (this is so we could make all needed foundational repairs).

It turned out a small section of the fiberglass tub had been cemented to the floor! We’re not sure if it was done on purpose or by accident but it meant that when we pulled it up it broke some tiles that we needed to replace with perfect matches.

Here’s a before picture of the bath-shower combo they had:

• There was a hole that was patched multiple times.
• There was the yellowing old fiberglass unit, which is prone to more cracking.
• The tub was difficult for her son to maneuver in and out of.
• Also, it lacked style. But, that wasn’t the primary focus.

The Transformation: Jewel’s New Walk-In Shower

Now let’s take a look at the transformation. One of the things that really took Jewel by surprise was how we managed to get everything done in two days. And that was despite breaking some tile.

What are the first things you notice?

• The overall increased safety of the space?
• How easy it is to get in and out of, and the seating?
• The more convenient storage areas for shampoos, conditioners, body washes, etc.?
• The longer handle outside the door, the smaller knob on the inside, and the grab bar? The inside knob is a small detail Jewel really loved! It allows you to open and close the door from the inside without having to touch the glass.
• The door and privacy glass? It’s hard to see in the picture (much better in the video), but that glass looks beautiful. The design makes it look like it has water flowing down it.
• The gentle coloring and rock-like style of the entire enclosure with its 9-foot walls?

As the family walked into the bathroom for the reveal, they were shocked.

“Oh my God, look at that…it’s beautiful! You guys have a seat!”

Then one of the first things we showed them was the nifty temperature control system. All they had to do was find the perfect temperature and it would stay that way every time they turned the water on. Most of us are used to getting cold water at first and letting it warm up.

“It’s easier to clean and maintain. It’s functional. All the choices and accessories were great too. They actually captured the vision of what I wanted perfectly. I definitely feel like I made the right choice to get rid of the tub.”

The kids have been showering much more than they used to. And it’s like a little retreat for Jewel. She had planned on remodeling the bathroom with her husband, but they kept needing to put it off and he tragically passed away.

But along with Jewel, we like to believe that he’s looking down and pleased for his wife and kids. A noble cause all around.

Side Note: We Surprised Jewel!

Jewel didn’t think she would win the giveaway. And we knew that, so we surprised her. We went out to her home and pretended she was a finalist, then “inspected” the bath while the team set up outside to surprise her. Once we came out we let her know that not only was she a finalist…but she’d won!

When our installers that we had join us for the surprise met her and saw her reaction, they demanded to be able to do the job. So, of course, we set that up. One of our installers even shared with Jewel the loss that he experienced in his life, concerning the loss of his son and how it was particularly meaningful for him to be a part of the project.

During the installation, Jewel said these guys were bantering like brother and sister and they were a fun team to have around her home for a couple of days. It was great!

Long Story Short: This Project Was A Huge Success!

If you have questions about our Shower Remodeling service or anything else related to this project, reach out and Contact Shugarman’s Bath today.