RUSSIAVILLE, Ind. – Volunteers descended onto a farmhouse in Russiaville Saturday, helping a veteran and Hoosier who dedicated more than two decades with the Indiana National Guard.

Larry Sparks served numerous deployments including to Iraq, Afghanistan and to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. What has followed is a traumatic brain injury, daily seizures and PTSD.

“It’s been a process,” he said. “It’s been tough.”

Sparks reached out to the non-profit Wish 4 Our Heroes to help.

Saturday, volunteers sanded walls, put up new siding and helped to renovate numerous rooms inside the home. More volunteers are needed to help paint next week.

Click here to learn how to help or donate. The organization will also be collecting donations at IMS throughout May.

“Larry would try his heart out if he could do all this good stuff himself,” said Erich Orrick, Wish 4 Our Heroes vice president. “And this is giving him a shot in the arm, remembering we do care about him when he cared about so many other people before when he was a guardsman.”

Sparks, who retired five years ago, also had two strokes earlier this year.

“You want to do it yourself and you don’t want to ask for help,” he said. “It takes a little bit away from your pride. But when it comes to your family and God, you set those things aside. And it takes faith for sure. But these guys reached out and that’s what the brotherhood is.”