When Elijah Corona tried to help out his neighborhood, nobody complained about going to the back of the line.

For the last few years, my mechanics and I have been replacing our neighbors’ car windows after burglaries or acts of vandalism. You pay for the glass, we’ll do the work free of charge, so long as you live in ZIP code 53207.

Helping our neighbors seems like a no-brainer. It only makes sense to donate our time and expertise to the community that keeps us in business.

Whenever break-ins ramp up like they did last January – we fixed 70-plus windows in three days – it’s pretty cool to watch how our neighborhood rallies.

During weeks like that, I’m lucky enough to witness how many really good people we have here in Milwaukee. Some of our other customers were put on hold so that we’d be able to tend to all of the victims’ vehicles quickly, and literally everyone was OK with it. Customers would tell us, “My oil change can wait, my brakes can wait, let’s get these people’s windows in.”

WHO: Elijah Corona, 35, was thrust into the public eye early last year when TV crews learned he was sacrificing his own time and resources after a rash of vehicular break-ins in Bay View.

WHERE: Corona’s business, The Family Mechanic, 1122 E. Holt Ave.

 

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My own car has been broken into, too. It makes you feel crummy. Someone just invaded your personal space and took your stuff.

In my profession, people really rely on us. If we’re able to ease pain and inconvenience during this potentially traumatic event, I don’t see any reason why we wouldn’t make ourselves available to help out as best we can.

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“Why I Love Milwaukee: Reversing Vandalism” appears in the January 2019 issue of Milwaukee Magazine.

Buy a copy at milwaukeemag.com/shop or find the issue on newsstands, starting Dec. 31.

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