Giving back is what the Homes for Our Troops non-profit organization is all about. In December alone, Homes for Our Troops is donating five, brand-new, specially adapted homes to wounded troops in Delaware, Colorado, Connecticut, Texas and New Jersey.
The December 27 home dedication ceremony for Army Specialist James Benoit in Wharton, NJ, will mark the fifth home dedication in December and the twenty-second home completed by the organization since its first home dedication in October 2005. This also paves the way for another five wounded service members to be taken off the waiting list and put on the road toward living a more independent life.
Through the support of thousands of donors, along with its corporate partners and local community involvement, Homes for Our Troops has been able to provide these homes to our nation's heroes completely free of charge. It's especially meaningful at this time of year to have the families in their new homes in time for the holidays.
SGT Jason Nielson poses in front of his new, specially adapted home provided by Homes for Our Troops.
Wounded troops like SGT Jason Nielson, his wife Krista and their three young children of Milford, Delaware, are now enjoying accessibility and independence in a Homes for Our Troops home.
"I can't describe how wonderful it is to know my family will be secure and have a home," says Jason, "We've got a lot of bills and it's good to know we don't have to worry about this."
Sgt. Jason Nielson was on patrol in October 2005 in Baghdad when a sniper's bullet pierced his spine. Like so many other severely wounded soldiers, Nielson returned home to many months of painful therapy and the unknowns of life confined to a wheelchair.
The Nielsons, along with representatives from Homes for Our Troops, Lacrosse Homes and dozens of subcontractors and politicians, celebrated a milestone on the family's road to recovery with a housewarming party in a new, specially adapted home that was given to the family free of charge.
Kirt Rebello, VP/Chief Projects Officer for the organization, says, "It's a great accomplishment for us that we were able to hand over five houses to our veterans in the month of December. In the giving spirit of the season, where so many of our donors have given to support our mission, it's rewarding for us give so much back to our deserving veterans in this special month."
Home for Our Troops expects to take on 20-30 additional home building projects in 2008 and is always in need of monetary contributions, donations of in-kind materials, professional labor and services for the homes it builds across the USA.
To volunteer or to donate and to find out more about other Homes for Our Troops projects, visit www.homesforourtroops.org.
About the Homes Built by Homes for Our Troops
The homes built by Homes for Our Troops provide the primary benefit of giving the veteran a handicap accessible home specially designed to meet the challenges faced due to the veteran's disabilities. But as importantly, we take the burden of finding an appropriate home off the shoulders of the veteran and his or her family at this disruptive point in their lives, which helps to promote a more stable future and a better chance for physical and emotional recovery. These homes also give back to the veterans some of the personal independence they lost due to their injuries and it allows the family to deal with their day to day challenges in a home specially adapted to their specific needs.
About Homes for Our Troops
Homes for Our Troops was founded in 2004 by contractor John Gonsalves when he wanted to find an organization to volunteer his 20 years experience as a contractor to help our wounded veterans with their home modification needs. He found that no organization existed to help our severely disabled veterans in that way, so he founded Homes for Our Troops. Since that time, Mr. Gonsalves and the Homes for Our Troops organization have worked nationwide to complete and/or commit to 38 home building/renovation projects which means that 38 wounded service members and their families have or will soon have a home they can call their own -- a home suited to their difficult physical needs arising as a result of their sacrificing for our country.
"Our motto is, essentially, 'Homes for Our Troops'," John Gonsalves says. "It's not a (politically) left thing, it's not a right thing, it's the right thing. As Americans, we have a responsibility to these soldiers and their families."
*The services provided by Homes for Our Troops is done at no cost to the veterans they serve.