Jay French is an Andover resident, Harvard Law School graduate and legal counsel at Sun Life Financial. But all those attributes are a distant backdrop to his greatest role as board member and legal adviser to Homes for our Troops.
Kyle Burleson was on a routine trip in his Humvee in Sadr City when a sniper's bullet tore through his head and rendered him a quadriplegic. The supporting arms of the army did not reach into his 900 square foot house and Kyle had no prospects of living anything resembling a normal life.
For the 700 severely wounded veterans a story like this ends here. But Kyle's story continues with a new house specially adapted for his paralysis and large enough for the veteran to move around and be part of his family once more.
Homes for our Troops has so far built 30 homes in 28 states with 20 more in construction. Each home is customized to the special needs of its occupant. Massachusetts native Peter Rooney lost both legs above the knees when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb. His home in Cummington is nearing completion. As one soldier put it, every soldier is aware of the possibility of being killed but few contemplate that of being wounded and disabled.
John Gonsalves started Homes for Our Troops in the aftermath of 9/11 and the wars that quickly ensued. As a general contractor he was in a good position to respond to the needs of the disabled returning heroes. His outreach across the country has hit some very responsive chords. One check arrived in the mail for the amount of $3 million from a California foundation. The foundation followed up with an offer for $10 million more to cover the costs of building another 100 homes.
While all charities appear to be worthy causes many do more to support their staff than the recipients of donors' largesse. Jay cautioned all to check with watchdog groups, such as the American Institute of Philanthropy, for the rating of any large non-profit group. Of all veterans' groups HFOT ranks near the top thanks to it's spartan 7% overhead cost.
The call for donations has been answered by several celebrities. Billy Joel penned Christmas in Fallujah and has donated every penny in royalties to the group (half a million dollars so far). Golfer Phil Nickelson's lifetime commitment to HFOT resulted in the donation $34,000 in one year alone. And rocker-pitcher (and dearly departed Red Sox icon) Bronson Arroyo donates $100 for every strike-out he delivers.
Jay aired several minutes of a very moving video on Homes for Our Troops. The video showcased some of the special features that HFOT homes sport, such as card key access to locked doors, adapted toilets, shelves that swing down to floor level and wheelchair accessibility througout. In addition to the adaptive features, all homes incorporate the latest in energy savings technology. The houses are also backdrops for great stories of community support: On one job site an entire tool collection was stolen. The local Home Depot replaced all tools free of charge. When the roofers for Peter Damon's new home left the job a local radio station broadcast a plea for roofing volunteers. In a couple of hours three professional roofers were on scrambling on the top of the house with nail guns and shingles.
Jay reminded us that we are all Americans and we all share a collective responsibility to help those who risk life and limb to serve their country. Homes for Our Troops is one of the finest examples of a nation that helps these heroes.
