Some St. Louis residents may call it an early Christmas gift, or others may even say it’s their guardian angel from above, but NFL Player Chris Draft and Home Depot’s Steve Esparza explain it as just another effort in trying to make a difference in the St. Louis Community.

Although work was postponed about a week or so due to rainy weather on a project sponsored by Home Depot, Steve Esparza, Regional Merchandising Manager for the Home Depot, and his crew remain committed to completing much needed repairs on the first set of five homes within the St. Louis area. 

Esparza said, “Going into this project, our over all goal was to make repairs on various homes within St. Louis City to make sure that they were basically up to code, so that home owners would not lose them. Now, it is more so our determination to make sure that the basic needs of these home owners are met and simply, that they are able to live as any other human being.”

With this project, the Home Depot plans to work on at least five homes per quarter, with many of them being owned by residents ranging between the ages of 70 to 80, who simply cannot afford to, or are unable to, complete the repairs themselves.  Repairs vary from home to home, including work on a kitchen floor in one, a handicap ramp for another and a new water heater in another, so that one 78-year-old home owner will be able to take a hot bath, especially with the winter season quickly approaching.

Esparza continued, “With the economy being in the condition that it is right now, and seeing good people who have spent their whole lives working hard, it was important to me, and Home Depot as well, to assist in any way that we can. Also, we wanted to show that Home Depot is not a company just about sales, but instead about making a difference in people’s lives. From a personal aspect, I feel very fortunate to have the life that I have, and I just want to be able to help others.”

It’s that particular attitude and dedication in making a difference in the community and the lives of other people that Esparza with Home Depot, and Linebacker Chris Draft with the Chris Draft Family Foundation share.  The two have previously joined forces in other projects like a trash clean up at Barrett Brothers Park along with St. Louis Alderman Jeffrey Boyd, 150 youth from 22nd Ward, and Pepsi; and the recent restoration of Sumner High School’s Football Field sponsored by The St. Louis Rams and Anheuser Busch, in efforts to provide a safe and positive environment for children.  Also, in November 2008, Draft, Home Depot, the Vashon/Jeff Vander Lou initiative, and 19th Ward Alderwoman, Marlene Davis, created an opportunity to winterize a few homes in St. Louis to bring about some much needed awareness to an issue that many homeowners ignore. The program itself was designed to illustrate quick and easy ways to winterize a home, all for under $200.

Therefore, this project is not the first, and Draft and Esparza, who recently became apart of the Draft Family Foundation’s St. Louis Advisory Board, are committed to making sure that it is definitely not the last.  Through his continued involvement, Draft has made it clear that his commitment to helping improve the St. Louis community will not cease though he may no longer be residing in the City. Now, with Esparza on the Board and being linked with a good company such as Home Depot that understands his mission and has the same desire to assist, Draft can rest much easier in his new location just as the residents will in their updated homes.