BERWYN – Margarita Rivera doesn't have the words to express her gratitude to community members for their support to help keep her family, including her son Lee, who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, safe in their home. Thanks to online voting from friends and family, the Riveras won a much-needed new roof for their 126-year-old house, courtesy of Licitra Roofing.

The family and Licitra held an installation party Aug. 30 at the home, complete with lunch donated by Tom’s Carry Out, to celebrate the roof’s installation.

“Because of the community and Licitra Roofing, I feel more at ease about Lee’s safety in the home,” Rivera said. “What this company is doing is saving our home. Every time there was a storm, all the shingles were flying. The roof was so old and dried up and rotted.”

This is the third year of Licitra’s “No Roof Left Behind” contest, in which the Brookfield company donates one roof to a family in need in the area. The Riveras were nominated by several people, and Licitra employees chose them as one of the finalists. The winner was determined through online voting, and Rivera found out July 28 that her family won. Work began on the roof Aug. 29.

“I just started screaming and crying and I dropped to my knees, I was so overjoyed,” she said. “There’s no way to describe the joy I felt that this company would do this for a family they didn’t even know. They’re doing a whole tear-off and new paneling and new shingles. They’re even going to do our garage roof.”

Company Vice President Jonathan Licitra said the Riveras' roof was in bad shape and probably would have cost about $30,000. He said that while all of the finalists were deserving of a new roof, the Riveras' situation was unique because of the family’s special needs to care for Lee.

“They really needed it, and they needed the community support,” he said. “But this is what it’s all about. ... It’s a huge expense for us, but the feeling of giving someone something they need outweighs the cost. It’s all worth it in the end. Margarita hugged me for about five minutes straight with genuine emotion.”

Lee and his younger brother, Sal, were officially adopted by Rivera and her husband two years ago after the boys lived with them in foster care since they were 3 and 2 years old. Lee was diagnosed with the progressive muscular degenerative disease two weeks after the Riveras brought them home.

Helping them win the “No Roof Left Behind” contest isn’t the first time the community has rallied around the Rivera family. The nonprofit group created to benefit the Rivera family, “For the Love of Lee,” was able to raise about $50,000 over the past two years to fund construction of a handicap-accessible bathroom and bedroom on the home’s first floor for Lee, who is in a wheelchair. Several community organizations, as well as various trade unions, donated their time and materials to help with the construction.

Before the rooms were built, Rivera used to have to carry Lee, who is in sixth grade at Freedom Middle School in Berwyn, on her back up and down stairs several times a day. She said the community “saved her back.”

“The community came together for a little boy who is struggling with this terrible illness and said, ‘We’re here for you,’” she said. “For all these people to take time away from their families and money out of their own pockets to help us, there are just no words. Without the community’s help, I couldn’t get through this. It takes a village.”