Helpful Heroes: Retired first responders continue giving back

PHOENIX - Need help around the house? Who better than retired and off-duty first responders?

It's part of a new program called Helpful Heroes.

The backstory:

Alfred Cantwell was hard at work putting together an important piece for a Valley daycare.

"Safety is always involved, so you always want to make sure you do it according to the instructions and be able to hold the weight," he explained.

This time, the task isn't too difficult. He's installing a wall-mounted changing station.

The time spent also means fun with the kids.

"They're just a joy," he said. "See them smiling and laughing and jumping around."

Big picture view:

Rose World Day Care is unique and caters to the extreme schedules of the medical industry.

"We open at 4 a.m. and we don't close until 8 p.m. because when I was in medical and needed to be at work at 5, I had trouble finding day care opening up early enough," Patina Muhammed with Rose World Home Care said.

She needed the changing station installed, but couldn't hire just anyone for the job.

"I've had this changing table for a few months, trying to find someone who I can trust to come into a licensed day care center, you know?" Muhammed said.

That's where Helpful Heroes comes in.

The company connects off-duty and retired firefighters and EMTs to do handy work needed in the community.

Cantwell is a retired firefighter lieutenant from outside of Chicago. For Muhammed, that means she can trust him, which is so important.

For Cantwell, it means he can keep being of help, even though he's retired.

"I enjoy helping people. I enjoy building things, doing things, installing stuff," he said.

After just 30 minutes, the job was done. The changing station was safely installed on the wall, all according to the directions.

"Ready to go to the next job," he said.

What you can do:

You can learn more about the Helpful Heroes by clicking here.