Honoring a Life Cut Short

Jonah Oswald, police officer and U.S. Army veteran, was a valued member of the Fairway, Kansas community. But at the young age of only 29 years old, Jonah lost his life from injuries suffered on duty, leaving behind a wife and two young children.

After Renewal by Andersen of Kansas City got a call from this young, broken family for a three-window appointment, it wasn’t long before they learned the family’s story. Of course, the Kansas City team was ready to pay it forward and lend them a helping hand.

“I quickly realized it wasn't just some regular appointment,” says Ryan Jones, sales manager for Kansas City. “Once I met her and met the kids, I knew immediately it was going to be something bigger than just a standard two- to three-window job.” The Kansas City team decided to jump in and completed the entire house worth of windows and doors to aid the Oswald family.

But of course, there’s more to this story. This team of Difference Makers went above and beyond. The Kansas City ownership team (BORO Group) connected with a local nonprofit called Answering the Call to help further support the family. Answering the Call is a nation-wide nonprofit that aids and supports all first responders in times of crisis. Team members across the BORO Group markets pooled together $5,000. Along with the BORO Group’s match, these teams donated a total of $10,000 to Answering the Call in support of the Oswald family.

“We wanted to do more to help the family and honor the officer, so we decided the cash donation and additional home improvements would be best,” says Michelle Lamb, director of marketing for the BORO Group.

“We wear it on our sleeves, literally, that Renewal cares, and we genuinely do… This is not something we take lightly,” says Jones. “To be able to impact their lives and help this family… you can’t put a price on it.”