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First overseas fund-raiser for wounded warrior homes to be held at Kadena
Posted 4/2/2012 Updated 4/3/2012
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by Tech. Sgt. Amanda Savannah
18th Wing Public Affairs
4/2/2012 - KADENA AIR BASE, Japan -- The first overseas fund-raiser for a project that supports severely wounded warriors is scheduled for May 3-4 at Marek Park on Kadena.
The 24-hour Building For America's Bravest jog-a-thon begins at 7 a.m. May 3 and is open to anyone with base access.
Building For America's Bravest is a project created and run through a partnership with the Gary Sinise Foundation and Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation. The project's goal is to build 10 "smart" homes for severely wounded veterans, predominantly quadruple or triple amputees, to be either completed or under construction in 2012. The cost of each home is about $550,000, depending on the location.
Chip Steitz, event organizer and 10th Support Group Public Affairs officer on Torii Station, Japan, said the jog-a-thon is a great way for people to give back to those who have given so much.
He and other event organizers are looking for runners to participate in the jog-a-thon. They are asking for donations per mile or for a specified time slot. There will be plaques for the individual and team who raised the most money and for the team with the most people participating.
The organizers are also looking for volunteers for the event. Those interested in volunteering can contact 2nd Lt. Brian Pike, from the 18th Logistics Readiness Squadron, at Brian.Pike.3@us.af.mil or call DSN 634-6077. Those looking for more information can also reach 2nd Lt. LaDonna Lee, lead Air Force point of contact from the 18th Communications Squadron, at La_Donna.Lee@us.af.mil or call DSN 634-2881; or Christopher Moore from the 18th Security Forces Squadron, at Christopher.Moore.28@us.af.mil or call DSN 634-1419.
These smart homes are designed to assist the wounded service members in their daily lives. They feature drop-down cabinets, countertops that automatically power electric appliances, large bathrooms, and other functions that can be controlled by a computer tablet.
"I've never been deployed, but when people come back and things aren't as they were before they left, how do you cope with that?" Lee said. "Now they're living a handicapped life, and things aren't available to them as they once were, so these houses are catering to those needs of those individuals. I think it's important to be able to pay back to those who put so much on the line."
The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation honors the legacy of love given by Stephen Siller, New York firefighter, who laid down his life on 9/11. The mission is to follow Siller's footsteps through support of children who have lost a parent, firefighters, and military who have been seriously injured and sacrifice their quality of life in the line of duty. For more information on this foundation, visit http://www.tunneltotowersrun.org/.
The Gary Sinise Foundation honors the nation's defenders, veterans, first responders, their families and those in need. For more information, visit http://www.garysinisefoundation.org/.
Both foundations' websites have more information on the Building for America's Bravest project.
"We can never do enough for those who sacrifice so much in service of our country, but we can always try to do a little bit more," said Sinise in a letter on his foundation's website. "Please support this worthy program to give these great American heroes a specially-designed place to call home."
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