During this holiday season here at Purple Heart Homes, we recognize the importance and meaning of 'home' to those currently serving and the Veteran families who have served our country in the past. 

We encourage everyone to think of America's Active Duty Military that are stationed at military bases throughout the world. Foremost, we must ALL keep the thought of those deployed in warzones and in imminent danger within our hearts on a continual basis. "Home for the Holidays" is not an option for them or their loved ones. (www.phhusa.org). 

Purple Heart Homes is a Nationally Organized 501c3 public charity that is dedicated to providing housing solutions for service connected disabled Veterans that are substantial in function and design. Focusing on safety and accessibility, they've helped Veterans with multiple types of injuries, demographics and ages. John Gallina, Purple Heart Homes co-founder and executive director said, "We help Veterans of all ages with housing issues. It's top of mind, that to our Veteran families, 'home' means everything. It's a place to heal, it is a special sanctuary that provides stability and needed neighborly support."

To our Veterans 'home' means everything.  
Here are two examples of Veterans we've helped and why during this giving season your donation to Purple Heart Homes matters so much. There are thousands of Veterans just like them who need our help.

Meet 90-year Veteran Alex Sawchyn:  
Alex lives in a quiet peaceful town in Redding, CT. A knock on his door brought an insurance representative providing him with a list of things he needed to do or his homeowners insurance would be cancelled. The estimates (totaling $42,000) for cutting down some trees, painting the house and putting a new roof weren't feasible. Even after participating in the Berlin Airlift, Alex and his wife were left with few options except moving into an assisted living facility.  

Purple Heart Homes along with some very generous volunteers and businesses from the State of Connecticut stepped in to help paint the house, cut down the trees and put on a new roof enabling the Sawchyn's to remain safely in their home. Aging Veterans and caregivers deserve every chance to stay in their homes, they sometimes just need a little help. 

Meet Operation Iraqi Freedom Army Veteran Lauren Hogan: 
Lauren Hogan is a single mom with two young daughters.  She joined the Army in an effort to prepare her for life.  On November 21, 2004, Lauren was wounded in one of the single deadliest attacks on U.S. forces throughout the Iraq war. A suicide bomber, disguised as an Iraqi Soldier detonated an explosive vest in a crowded mess hall, killing 22 people and injuring 72 others. Lauren received the Purple Heart, for the shrapnel she still carries in her back and after receiving an honorable medical discharge from the Army she moved back in with her parents and often secluded herself from the outside world.  

Since being discharged, Lauren has moved multiple times, all across the country while searching for a safe place to call home. As a final effort she purchased a fixer upper in Western NC near her parents. She started fixing it using her disability payments so she could provide a 'home' for herself and her two young daughters. While working diligently in her spare time to remodel the small home, Lauren realized her dream was going to take a lot longer than she wanted.
 
Purple Heart Homes along with community stepped in to completely renovate the 100-year-old mill house giving Lauren Hogan peace of mind and the stability she needed to be able to heal and give her daughters a place to begin to make memories together as a family. 

There are now over 150 Purple Heart Homes stories similar to the two above. To our Veterans 'home' means everything. Be a part of the Purple Heart Homes story in providing needed housing assistance to deserving Veteran families. – Visit the Purple Heart Homes website to make your donation so we can continue to improve more Veterans' lives one 'home' at a time.