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Helping a Hero presents wounded veteran with Celina home: Ceremony takes place on recipient's wedding anniversary
By Andrew Snyder, asnyder@starlocalnews.com
A retired army sergeant and his family were presented with the keys to a new home in the Carter Ranch community in Celina on Monday by Helping a Hero, a nonprofit organization that provides specially adapted homes to severely injured military personnel.
Brian Fleming and his wife, Jamie, were presented with the keys to their new four bed, two and a half bath home in a ceremony that coincided with their seventh wedding anniversary. The Flemings have two children, Blake and Kailey.
“When I first met Sgt. Fleming, I was very impressed,” said Meredith Iler, founder of Helping a Hero, in a release. “He has battled back from a near fatal firefight and has endured so much on his road to recovery. We count it an honor to help this young hero begin a new life in a brand new home where his ability to live independently will be maximized.”
Fleming's house was the third the organization has built in the Dallas area – along with one in Frisco and one in Fort Worth – and it will add two more in the near future. The organization has awarded 90 homes to date to injured veterans in 21 states.
Fleming joined the army after graduating from high school in 2003. While serving in Afghanistan, he was severely injured while driving through Kandahar when a suicide bomber detonated an explosion three feet from him. Following that attack, he spent more than a year recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.
Fleming's home came fully furnished and features separate air conditioning systems for the upstairs and downstairs. As a burn victim, he has trouble regulating his body temperature, and the downstairs unit will be kept at 64 degrees to keep him safe and comfortable. The backyard is also positioned to provide ample shade during the afternoon. The home also features tile floors to accommodate his friends who are in wheel chairs.
“We always make sure to think about who they're having over,” Iler said.
Fleming currently serves as a resiliency coach for the U.S. Department of Defense. He has mentored over 1,000 combat veterans and is also the author of Never the Same, a personal account of the War in Afghanistan, and Redeployed.
Helping a Hero's funding model places the average cost of a home at $250,000. The developer is expected to donate a lot valued at $50,000, a cost matched by the builder of the home. The community contributes an additional $100,000, leaving the veteran with a 10-year mortgage of $50,000. During that time period, the veteran cannot sell the home.
Among those who helped raise money for Fleming's home was the childcare company Kids 'R' Kids. One student, nine-year-old Ben Stevenson, raised $2,500 toward that amount by doing odd jobs and going to school early to solicit donations from other students and their parents. He has already raised an additional $600 to give to the organization to help fund a new home.
Stevenson was present at the presentation ceremony, where he led the more than 250 people gathered in the pledge of allegiance. The mascot of the Texas Rangers, Rangers Captain, was also on hand to present Blake, an avid baseball fan, with a signed ball from Nolan Ryan and Elvis Andrus. The frame of Blake's bed in his family's new home is also made of baseball bats.
For more information on the Helping a Hero's Home Program, visit the website at www.helpingahero.org. The organization is currently accepting applications for prospective home recipients in 2013.
Brian Fleming and his wife, Jamie, were presented with the keys to their new four bed, two and a half bath home in a ceremony that coincided with their seventh wedding anniversary. The Flemings have two children, Blake and Kailey.
“When I first met Sgt. Fleming, I was very impressed,” said Meredith Iler, founder of Helping a Hero, in a release. “He has battled back from a near fatal firefight and has endured so much on his road to recovery. We count it an honor to help this young hero begin a new life in a brand new home where his ability to live independently will be maximized.”
Fleming's house was the third the organization has built in the Dallas area – along with one in Frisco and one in Fort Worth – and it will add two more in the near future. The organization has awarded 90 homes to date to injured veterans in 21 states.
Fleming joined the army after graduating from high school in 2003. While serving in Afghanistan, he was severely injured while driving through Kandahar when a suicide bomber detonated an explosion three feet from him. Following that attack, he spent more than a year recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.
Fleming's home came fully furnished and features separate air conditioning systems for the upstairs and downstairs. As a burn victim, he has trouble regulating his body temperature, and the downstairs unit will be kept at 64 degrees to keep him safe and comfortable. The backyard is also positioned to provide ample shade during the afternoon. The home also features tile floors to accommodate his friends who are in wheel chairs.
“We always make sure to think about who they're having over,” Iler said.
Fleming currently serves as a resiliency coach for the U.S. Department of Defense. He has mentored over 1,000 combat veterans and is also the author of Never the Same, a personal account of the War in Afghanistan, and Redeployed.
Helping a Hero's funding model places the average cost of a home at $250,000. The developer is expected to donate a lot valued at $50,000, a cost matched by the builder of the home. The community contributes an additional $100,000, leaving the veteran with a 10-year mortgage of $50,000. During that time period, the veteran cannot sell the home.
Among those who helped raise money for Fleming's home was the childcare company Kids 'R' Kids. One student, nine-year-old Ben Stevenson, raised $2,500 toward that amount by doing odd jobs and going to school early to solicit donations from other students and their parents. He has already raised an additional $600 to give to the organization to help fund a new home.
Stevenson was present at the presentation ceremony, where he led the more than 250 people gathered in the pledge of allegiance. The mascot of the Texas Rangers, Rangers Captain, was also on hand to present Blake, an avid baseball fan, with a signed ball from Nolan Ryan and Elvis Andrus. The frame of Blake's bed in his family's new home is also made of baseball bats.
For more information on the Helping a Hero's Home Program, visit the website at www.helpingahero.org. The organization is currently accepting applications for prospective home recipients in 2013.
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