CONNECTIONS2017 SUMMER EDITION

Purple Heart Homes staff and volunteers pose for a celebratory photograph on the final day of construction.

3rd Denver Project for 555 Charity Purple Heart Homes, a proud member of the 555 Charity, was excited to participate in the building of a new home for a Service Connected Disabled Veteran. 555 Charity is a collaborative effort between Purple Heart Homes, Hearts & Hammers, Patriot Military Family Foundation, and Charlotte Bridge Homes. 555 Charity held a Groundbreaking Ceremony for their 3rd home located in Denver, North Carolina. Additionally, 39 members from H.E.A.R.T.9/11, an organization comprised of NYC-based firefighters, traveled from their home in NYC to Denver, NC, to work on framing the house during the first week of construction. Other volunteers and

local businesses contributed their services as well. A local Veteran and their family will receive the newly constructed home in the Lakehaven Drive community through our Veterans Home Ownership Program. The Veteran, Robbie James, served in the U.S. Marines and then in the U.S. Army National Guard during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He sustained combat-related injuries during his service in Iraq. James is currently a firefighter with the Denver Fire Department. He lives with his wife, Emilee James, and their four young children. The local community and beyond united to assure that all of the necessary resources were available for the completion of this home. Completion is estimated for mid to late June. Purple Heart Homes also offers the Veterans Aging in Place program in addition to the Veterans Home Ownership Program. Visit www.PurpleHeartHomesUSA.org to learn more about the programs offered and how you can get connected.

Volunteers from 555 Charity and H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 worked together to frame the new home in just 3 1/2 days.

Do you know people who are looking for a way to give back to the Veterans in their community?

Why not bring those people together to talk about forming a Purple Heart Homes Chapter?

A Chapter operates under the guidelines of Purple Heart Homes to provide assistance to eligible Disabled Veterans. Chapters focus on VAIP (Veterans Aging in Place) projects, which involve renovations or repairs

made to homes that are owned by the Veteran. Projects vary greatly based on the needs of the Veteran and the capabilities of the Chapter. Typical projects may include: widening doorways, remodeling

bathrooms, building ramps, or installing railings. All projects focus on making life safer and easier for Veterans and their caregivers. To learn

about starting a chapter, watch the short video on our website: www.purplehearthomesusa.org/get-connected#chapters

Purple Heart Homes will be able to expand our reach to more Veterans through Chapters. What a great way to give back to your community by supporting Veterans who have already given so much for our country! Our goal is to have 2 or more Chapters operating in every state. Help

us form a Chapter in your area today! To learn how you can organize a Chapter in your area, email Cheryl Campbell at ccampbell@phhusa.org

or call 704-818-3428.

Dale BeattyStrategic Development Officer

John GallinaExecutive Director

Enlisting in 1966, James Schenk spent his military career with the U.S. Navy aboard nuclear submarines. Spending time in dangerous waters under the thick ice of the North Pole, as well as the waters of the North Atlantic, James skirted interna-tional boundaries of the Soviet Union to track their submarines and missile boats. These icy waters gave a secondary meaning to the term “Cold War”. Fast forward 50+ years, Mr. Schenk now battles the evil enemy that is cancer. Hearing loss and restricted mobility due to his cancer create daily struggles with routine tasks. Just getting out of his home to go to the VA for much needed treatment became a lengthy ordeal. Purple Heart Homes’ Veteran Aging in Place (VAIP) program was just what this Navy Veteran needed. Volunteers from BB&T-Webb Insurance, Iredell County Home Builders, and Lake Norman Home Builders joined forces to build a safe and sturdy deck and ramp. Mr. Schenk now has a much easier time getting in and out of his home. Purple Heart Homes proved once again that joining forces with the community helps their mission of improv-ing Veterans’ lives one home at a time.

Volunteers Build New Ramp for Navy Veteran

Purple Heart Homes staff pose with volunteers from BB&T after completing a ramp for Navy Veteran,

James Schenk.

Hello, and welcome back to Purple Heart Homes Connections and our Co-founders Corner! We

hope you find this issue of our newsletter informative

and compelling to read. We work to collect stories of our Veterans, volun-teers, donors, and Events that we can share with you. Who knows… maybe one day you will see a project or event that you’ve attended! Our number of projects completed and Veteran families impacted continue to grow. Our list of donors, volunteers, and charitable partners is increasing steadily as well. We cannot accomplish our mission without so many generous and passionate individuals giving freely of their time and gifts to impact our Veteran families. So, with our most heartfelt appreciation, we offer you many THANKS! We have increased our efforts to provide solutions to Veterans who are ineligible for assistance from othernonprofits, and sometimes fall outside

of the VA Programs that focus on housing needs. We are proud that the Veterans Aging in Place Pro-gram we devised 9 years ago is helping aging Veteran families stay longer in their home. In turn, we must also increase our fundraising efforts to sustain the overall needs we face every day, and also to reach our goal of completing 100 projects each year in a sustainable way. So, how can you help, you ask? Helping Purple Heart Homes comes in many shapes and sizes. Share a Facebook post, tell a friend about us, join the Hearts of Honor Club, volunteer on a project, or volunteer your time to host a fundraiser. Any gift you give helps us make a differ-ence, so please contact us and tell us how we can help YOU become a part of the Purple Heart Homes family!

Purple Heart Homes Golden Corner Chapter completed much needed renovations for a Vietnam

Navy Veteran in Seneca, South Carolina.

Purple Heart HomesChapters

Co-Founders’Corner

Hearts Of Honor Club Celebrates 1st Anniversary!

Hearts of Honor Club celebrated its first anniversary on March 15, 2017. On its very first day, we had 15 members, and now we have grown to nearly 100 members! Throughout the last year,

members have been invited to many events, such as Mission Complete Ceremonies, the Annual Purple Heart Homes Golf Tourna-ment, and our Annual Stakehold-er’s Meeting and Dinner. Each monthly donation allows us to complete more Veteran proj-ects each year. Won’t you consider joining today? Becoming a member of Hearts of Honor is so easy! Simply go to our website at PurpleHeartHomesUSA.org and fill out your infor-mation. Your monthly gift of $10 or more a month will secure your membership. Then, simply wait for your membership package to arrive, knowing that you are doing your part to improve the lives of Veterans! If you have any questions about membership in Hearts of Honor Club, or would like to join over the phone or by mail, please contact Kerry Burdick at (704) 818-3424 kburdick@phhusa.org

Message from the

Chairman

Charles PageChairman of the Board

The 1st Annual Iris Ball

We are all moving fast these days, too fast it seems. Not enough time for work, family, faith, and friends. “How about some time just for me?” we say. Even when we are pretty good at setting priorities, leveraging our time, and saying “no,” time still catches up with us. We are always trying to find that 25th hour of the day. So, listen up, because I have a shortcut for you. Some years ago, Stephen Covey (the younger) wrote a book called The Speed of Trust, The One Thing That Changes Everything. Covey makes the case that trusted leaders do things better, faster, and at lower costs. Purple Heart Homes is moving at the speed of trust. We are serving more Service Connected Disabled Veterans every day. New Chapters are spreading our reach across the country. New, innovative plans that will allow us to better serve those who have served our country are progressing at a lower cost.

We recognize that trust is what makes this possible. We are running fast, so we stumble sometimes. We don’t always get it perfect, so we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and serve the next Veteran. I am proud of our service to those who have served America. So here is the shortcut: turn on your computer, type www.phhusa.org in the browser. Take a look, and when you are ready, click the Donate button in the upper right corner. Click Join the Hearts of Honor Club button, enter your information, choose your level of support, and click Submit. In just three quick clicks, you have joined the Purple Heart Homes extended family and ensured that we will continue to make a tangible difference in the lives of our Service Connected Disabled Veterans for the future. And you have added your energy to the speed of trust for all we serve.

Our most recent members

Darrin S., NCVictoria S., NCRobert A., NYMark D., NC

Michelle B., TXTandym K., KYPhillip H., TN

Christopher D., CO

Steven K., WAJeff S., GA

Lindsay T., NYAshley J., SCVernon S., NC

Teddy & Patricia C., NCZachary L., NC

Tom & Gail B., NC

Tania C., NCCarol W., NC

Nashville Young Professionals founded the Iris Ball to benefit Purple Heart Homes (Left to right - Drew Danieley, Meredith McKay,

Miller Fitts, Terah Kimbrell and David Elliot)

A group of twenty-something-year-old Nashville residents were seeking a way to unite more young professionals together within their city when the concept of the Iris Ball came to fruition. What better way to bring young people together than to give them an excuse to dress up and dance to live music? The Iris Ball took place on April 1st, 2017, at The Rosewall in Nashville, TN, and served as a black-tie fundraiser for Purple Heart Homes. Drew Danieley, one of the committee members, met John Gallina and Dale Beatty, our co-founders, in the past and felt good about helping Purple Heart Homes grow while having fun at the same time. The Iris Ball raised $64,000 in an effort to launch a Middle Tennessee Chapter of Purple Heart Homes. If you or someone you know may be interested in learning more about forming a Purple Heart Homes Chapter in your area, contact Cheryl Campbell, ccampbell@phhusa.org or Dale Beatty, dbeatty@phhusa.org to get started.

P.O. Box 5535Statesvi l le, NC 28687

Chapter ProjectsDaniel Cavanaugh, U.S. Air Force, VietnamMetro Atlanta ChapterJeremy Duckett, U.S. Army, OEFGolden Corner ChapterGeorge Duncan, U.S. Navy, World War IIHouston TX ChapterRandol Hackett, U.S. Navy, VietnamSouthwestern New York ChapterGary Rousseau, U.S. Army, VietnamWest Michigan ChapterCharles Slocum, U.S. Army, OIFSouthwestern New York ChapterMary Ann Taylor, U.S. Army, Cold WarGolden Corner ChapterTyler Wilson, U.S. Army, OIF, OEFColorado Front Range Chapter

CONTACT US: 704.838.4044 info@phhusa.org www.purplehearthomesusa.org

Current ProjectsDarcy Andrews – U.S. Marines – MIJames Darby - U.S. Army - Vietnam - CTReuben Edwards - U.S. Army - WWII - MDJerry Gibson – U.S. Army – Korea – GA Robbie James – U.S. Marine Corps/U.S. Army – OIF – NC Lloyd Karratti – U.S. Navy – Gulf War – NC Albert Schneider – U.S. Air Force – Gulf War, OIF, OEF – KYRobert Stokes - U.S. Marines - Vietnam - NCDiana Treviño – U.S. Air Force – Gulf War, OIF, OEF – TN

SAVE THE DATE9th Annual Purple Heart Homes

Golf TournamentSeptember 18, 2017

The Palisades Country Club13704 Grand Palisades Pkwy, Charlotte NC