Staten Island, NY, April 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Tunnel to Towers Foundation is proud to announce that it has gifted U.S. Army Specialist Johnathon Mullen and his family with a mortgage-free smart home in Lake Elmo, Minnesota.
A dedication ceremony was held on Thursday to welcome SPC Mullen, his wife Sarah, and their two children to the new home.
On June 10, 2011, SPC Mullen was on foot patrol in Kandahar, Afghanistan when his platoon came under fire. While moving through a narrow pathway, he stepped on a pressure plate IED, causing him to instantly lose both of his legs below the knee. His right arm was shattered, and he suffered nerve damage that left him with partial function in his right hand.
“SPC Mullen has spent so much of his life working in service of others. He is a hero, and it is really a gift to all of us at the Foundation to deliver this functional home to his family, while also lifting the burden of a mortgage off of their shoulders forever. It’s even more special that we were able to do this in time to celebrate Easter,” said Tunnel to Towers Chairman & CEO Frank Siller.
The customized smart home, built in partnership with The Home Depot Foundation, is designed to allow SPC Mullen to move with ease. It is one level, with extra-wide halls and doorways. The lights, thermostat, and security system are all controlled by a touchscreen or smartphone app, and the kitchen features a mechanical stove that raises and lowers to wheelchair height, as well as pull-down shelving and lower islands.
“The Home Depot Foundation joins the Tunnel to Towers Foundation in welcoming the Mullen family into their new, mortgage-free smart home. As part of our longstanding commitment to serving U.S. military veterans, we’ve partnered with Tunnel to Towers Foundation over the past 10 years to provide homes that are specially adapted to meet the needs of our nation’s combat-wounded veterans and their families. We’re proud to help provide John, Sarah and their children a comfortable place they can call home for many years ahead,” said Sean Walker, Manager, Strategic Partnerships and Programs, The Home Depot Foundation.
SPC Mullen is currently pursuing a Bible and Theology degree, with plans to attend seminary so he can serve others who are hurting. He was presented with a $10,000 scholarship from the Minnesotans’ Military Appreciation Fund during the ceremony.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation’s Smart Home Program custom builds specially adapted mortgage-free smart homes that help our most catastrophically injured veterans and first responders to reclaim their day-to-day independence.
You can help the Foundation continue to provide mortgage-free homes by donating just $11 per month at T2T.org.
About the Tunnel to Towers Foundation
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation is dedicated to honoring the sacrifice of FDNY Firefighter Stephen Siller, who laid down his life to save others on September 11, 2001. For 20 years the Foundation has supported our nation’s first responders, veterans, and their families by providing these heroes and the families they leave behind with mortgage-free homes.
For more about the Tunnel to Towers Foundation and its commitment to DO GOOD, please visit T2T.org.
Follow Tunnel to Towers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @Tunnel2Towers.
About The Home Depot Foundation
The Home Depot Foundation works to improve the homes and lives of U.S. veterans, train skilled tradespeople to fill the labor gap and support communities impacted by natural disasters. Since 2011, the Foundation has invested more than $350 million in veteran causes and improved more than 48,000 veteran homes and facilities in 4,500 cities. The Foundation has pledged to invest half of a billion dollars in veteran causes by 2025.
To learn more about The Home Depot Foundation visit HomeDepotFoundation.org and follow us on Twitter @HomeDepotFound and on Facebook + Instagram @HomeDepotFoundation.
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