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WASHINGTON D.C. (June 2, 2008) - Building or remodeling homes to
accommodate the needs of severely wounded warriors returning from
Iraq and Afghanistan is the way Kirt Rebello and everyone else
involved with "Homes for Our Troops" have chosen to thank
servicemembers for their sacrifice.
"A wounded servicemember's life is forever changed," Rebello --
vice president and projects director for Homes for Our Troops -
said during an interview on "ASY Live," a program on
BlogTalkRadio.com that's part of the Defense Department's America
Supports You program.
America Supports You connects citizens and companies with
servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad.
"The typical house in America today is not readily accessible to
someone who is left in a wheelchair or with a combination of
injuries that makes mobility difficult," Rebello said. Homes for
Our Troops provides assistance to families of severely injured
servicemembers who need to remodel their homes to accommodate new
challenges associated with their injuries.
"We widen doors, install roll-in showers [and otherwise provide]
some of the things we really take for granted that are significant
obstacles to someone who is severely injured," he explained.
"Additionally, as technology progresses, we are finding a number of
special adaptations that are available, like motion-sensored
activation and voice activation."
The group was started in 2004, after the founder, John
Gonsalves, saw a news special about a soldier who became a
paraplegic after his convoy hit a roadside bomb. Gonsalves, who has
spent more than 20 years in the construction industry, looked into
starting the nonprofit group after he was unable to locate an
organization that already worked to adapt homes for the
wounded.
Using his knowledge of the construction industry, Gonsalves was
able to get local builders to volunteer to assist by donating goods
and services to the projects. "Nothing motivates people more than
wanting to help a severely injured serviceperson," Rebello
said.
The organization caters its services specifically to troops who
are double amputees, paraplegic, quadriplegic, have severe
post-traumatic stress disorder, or are severely burned.
"These individuals are generally immobilized to a point where
[they] cannot get along on [their] own," Rebello said, "and all of
our houses are specifically adapted to meet the needs of that
particular veteran. The veterans we serve are the most severely
injured, and the houses are provided at no cost to them."
In many cases, the group will build a new home, if necessary,
instead of simply remodeling the existing one.
"One of the things that people don't always think about is that
a lot of injured servicemen and women are young, with good-sized
families," Rebello said. "We had a young serviceman who was a
quadriplegic with his wife and their two kids living in one room of
his parent's house. That's sometimes a challenge that goes
unnoticed, and it's happening across the country."
Rebello said the family seemed to belie the hardships they were
going through. "Despite everything, these were the most upbeat
people I have ever met," he said. "We were able to get a house
built for them and they were just unbelievably grateful."
Homes for Our Troops relies on the assistance of the community
where the veteran lives or wants to live to help fund the projects,
and for the most part, their efforts have been a great success.
"They are all donated materials and services," Rebello said. "We
help mobilize the community to help build these houses. It's the
local carpenters, plumbers, electricians, that really make the
difference."
Rebello acknowledged that the rough housing market makes
locating contractors and tradesmen who are willing to offer support
an additional challenge.
"For every house that is built, there are hundreds of
individuals involved," he said. "One of the key ingredients to our
business is a contractor or large builder that is willing to
coordinate all the activities that are occurring on the ground
around our event."
The result, however, is a heartwarming example of how the
nation's citizens band together to help an individual in need,
Rebello said.
"The more we think about people with those needs, the more it
makes sense to reach out and help them," he said.
Editor's Note: To find out about more individuals,
groups and organizations that are helping support the troops,
visit www.AmericaSupportsYou.mil. America
Supports You directly connects military members to the support of
the America people and offers a tool to the general public in their
quest to find meaningful ways to support the military
community.
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