Contact: Gisela Michan BAM Communications (858) 4490948 Gisela@BamCommunications.biz

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Healing Our Heroes' Homes Program Begins

Remodeling the Home of Paralyzed Marine Veteran Patrick Ozborn This Week

SAN DIEGO - (May 28, 2014) - Embrace's Healing Our Heroes' Homes program will carry out the eight home restoration starting this week. The mission will take place at the San Diego home of retired, paralyzed Marine Staff Sergeant Patrick Ozborn, who served in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Ozborn, now 36 years old, is paralyzed from the sternum down and suffers from T5 spinal cord injury due to a motorcycle accident. The mission for Ozborn's home includes the demolition and extension of his driveway, concrete ADA compliant wheel chair ramps at the entrance and side of the home, brick pavers around the home, new fencing, new front door with widened ADA compliant entrance, kitchen remodel and master bathroom vanity remodel. Labor and materials are estimated to be approximately $30,000. Funds raised from Embrace's Annual Ex 4 Vets IV event (www.Ex4Vets.org) that occurred last month will pay for incurred costs.

SSGT Patrick Ozborn

and Wife Marsha

"Patrick is an ideal candidate for our program; a Marine who has served this country faithfully, and a deserving individual whose home is in need modifications due to his disability. We are happy to help provide him with greater accessibility to and inside his home and increased independence," said Sean Sheppard, Embrace Founder and CEO. A native of Pond Creek, Oklahoma, SSGT Ozborn began his career at Camp Pendleton, CA as an Aircraft Electrician with Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 39. Stops in South Carolina, Mississippi, Iwakuni, Japan led to four tours to Korea in support of operation Foal Eagle, where he earned the Korean Service Defense Medal. Two tours in Thailand led to supporting a humanitarian mission in Myamar, earning him the Humanitarian Medal. After a 3 year tour in Japan, Ozborn was stationed at MCAS Yuma in Arizona before deploying to Camp Bastion, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. With a focus to restore the homes of disabled veteran homeowners, H3 falls in line with Embrace's mission to mobilize college student volunteers and community members to serve less fortunate members of civilian and veteran communities. Sponsors for this mission include the Home Depot Foundation, West America Corporation, SDG&E and Canales Demolition and Hauling Inc.

All Embrace programs aim to create a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic service learning experience for college students, connect young adults to veteran community members in need, raise awareness of low income, disabled veterans, and increase the value and efficient use of their homes. To donate to Embrace click Here For more information on Embrace and the H3 program, check out the video below and visit www.embrace1.org/h3.

Embrace - AHF Mission Support Video

2014

About Embrace Founded in 2000, Embrace uses community service to bring diverse groups of people together to bring about social wellness in our society. The organization focuses on the utilization of college students and recent graduates to develop their leadership qualities and remedy community problems such as health disparities and homelessness on a volunteer basis. Founder Sean Sheppard's ultimate goal is to bring about legislation that makes community service mandatory for all college students that attend state funded institutions of higher education. For more information on Embrace, visit www.embrace1.org. For more information about Sheppard and his life, visit www.thegoodsheppard.tv.

###