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Visiting Grass Valley California, you got the impression of a small town with a rich history. Although we spent two short days there, we got a glimpse at the community. A community that came together to welcome Navy PO1 Ryan Sykes at the key ceremony. To start out the day, we toured Ryan's fully adapted home. An experience that made everyone in the room think back to a time in their life when they either took care of a loved one in a wheelchair, or spent some time in one themselves. You realize just how confining and unlivable a house can be when you don't have the same capabilities as most individuals. Seeing a young man lose his independent daily living due to a serious injury that occurred while serving for our country moved everyone in the room to want to help. This led to the realization that sometimes the best help you can give is by allowing someone to be independent.
Ryan's new home has every adaptation needed to let him live independently once again. The statistics on how an adaptive home has improved the Home for Our Troops recipients lives is astounding. Changes are seen from income, to education, to no longer needing a caregiver. The hope that we gained by seeing the Grass Valley community come together to re-establish freedom in a veteran's life encouraged our entire team to do more. We thank everyone for their hard work that led to the donation to Home for Our Troops and to every customer who donated or purchased wine off the shelves to go towards this donation during November and December.
- Mikayla Pope, NW Sales Manager
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 ABOUT HOMES FOR OUR TROOPS
Homes for Our Troops (HFOT) was started in 2004 by a Massachusetts general contractor who offered to build a Massachusetts Army National Guard Soldier a specially adapted custom home. The Soldier, who had been injured in Iraq, agreed to have him build the home on the condition he do the same for other injured Veterans. Our homes have over 40 major special adaptations to provide full access to the home for the Veteran. These adaptations include wider halls and doorways; automatic door openers; roll-under sinks, stove tops, and counters; pull-down shelving; backup house generator; sliding windows; roll in shower with digital temperature control; and a master bedroom closet that is a steel reinforced concrete storm room built to FEMA standards. Since our founding in 2004, nearly 90 cents of every dollar spent has gone directly to our program services supporting Veterans.
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