YOU DID IT: Fuller Center supporters, local community hit fundraising goal in “Officer Robo Project”

Photo: Kim Roberts tells Mike and Jacqueline Robo and a crowd of supporters on June 21 that they have gotten $37,000 of the $40,000 needed to upgrade their home. That $40,000 goal was reached today, June 23.

YOU DID IT: Fuller Center supporters, local community hit fundraising goal in “Officer Robo Project”

OPELIKA, Ala. — Mike Roberson — better known as “Officer Robo” of the Auburn Police Department — and his wife, Jacqueline, have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from not just their local community but from Fuller Center for Housing supporters from across the country.

From 23 different states to be exact.

Officer Robo recently suffered a series of strokes that left him unable to speak and robbed him of much of his mobility. Since then, his wife has slept in a recliner beside his wheelchair as he cannot go up the stairs to the bedroom they once shared. Adding a bedroom and bathroom that will accommodate Officer Robo’s needs would not be a cheap endeavor — costing an estimated $40,000 to be exact.

When Kim Roberts, Executive Director of the Chattahoochee Fuller Center Project, heard about their dilemma from a local television reporter familiar with the work of the CFCP in the area, she accepted the challenge. It was a leap of faith. And that faith has been bolstered by supporters who have raised the daunting $40,000 sum … in less than two weeks.

“This is great!” Roberts said Wednesday. “Thank you to everyone who gave to Officer Robo! We will keep evreryone engaged as to when the building will begin — and a final reveal when the project is complete.”

Fuller Center for Housing President David Snell said that this project is helping put a face on the issue of housing affordability and accessibility.

“Sometimes a story simply demands a response,” he said. “Such is the case of Mike “Robo” Roberson, a retired Auburn Police officer whose house needs some upgrading to accommodate his needs since suffering a series of debilitating strokes. Our partners at the Chattahoochee Fuller Center Project learned of Officer Robo and put out the word in the Valley. We put out the word, as well, and between us we’ve raised over $40,000 — enough to make the needed improvements to the Roberson’s home.

“Donations flooded in from across the country demonstrating, once again, the basic goodness of the American people,” he added. “Such kindness warms the heart.”

While the Roberson’s home is a bit out of the CFCP’s service area, Lee County is an area with which Roberts, her team and Fuller Center volunteers are quite familiar. The CFCP first worked there after the 2019 tornado, building 20 homes as part of recovery efforts. Fuller Center volunteers helped build 11 of those in a single week during the 2019 Millard Fuller Legacy Build.

Now that the fundraising goal has been reached, how can you now express your love for the Roberson family and support for the work of the Chattahoochee Fuller Center Project? There are two ways. One, you can donate to the continuing work of the CFCP in their normal service area (mainly the tri-city area of West Point, Georgia, and the Alabama communities of Valley and Lanett (the hometown of late Fuller Center founder Millard Fuller). Or, you can join us for the CFCP’s 2021 Millard Fuller Legacy Build, where volunteers will build two new homes in West Point the week of Oct. 4-8.

Donate to the Chattahoochee Fuller Center Project

Learn more about the 2021 Legacy Build

Register for the Legacy Build in West Point, Ga.