America’s wounded, struggling veterans get brand-new homes built by Florida teens
“I really can’t say enough great things about the opportunity that the school is giving to these students,” Vesey said. “The hands-on ability to not just go into a classroom and learn a trade, but to also give back to their community at the same time and to change people’s lives and see it firsthand … being able to have that kind of impact on the world and realizing that what you do matters — I can’t imagine how much that helps.”
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Recent TVCS graduate Blake Tart, 18, shared his experience in a separate interview with Fox News Digital.
“My experience with Building Homes for Heroes was very cool – seeing the project go from a spot of sand to a finished and decorated house,” he said. “I will take the hard work and lessons learned with me into my next career path, and the most valuable lesson is that I can work on all of this myself at my own home one day.”
Tart, who comes from a family of veterans, said he and his fellow classmates showed up every day and “worked our hardest” for the veterans receiving homes.
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“We were never satisfied with good enough – we wanted it to be perfect,” he said. “The community should always lend a helping hand to those who have served and need some help.”
BHH has a presence in 37 U.S. states, but Florida has seen the highest demand for housing among veterans, according to Vesey. She emphasized the importance of people having a wider understanding of why former service members may need extra help.
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“People don’t find themselves in situations where they can’t provide for their family out of intent,” Vesey said. “Any one of us are just a few paychecks away from being in a situation where we are unable to provide for our families.”
U.S. Army Sergeant James Tabares and his wife pose in front of their new home built by The Villages Charter School Construction Management Academy students and Building Homes for Heroes. (Building Homes for Heroes)
“Our veterans go into the military to serve their country for so many different reasons, and many of them go into that thinking it’s going to be a full-time career, just as if you’re a teacher or a lawyer or a doctor… and that’s your retirement, that’s your savings, that’s everything you need to support your family,” she went on.
“So, when you go into the military thinking you’re going to put 30 years into that career, and it gets cut short because you’re injured, it’s a high risk.”
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Many veterans who leave the military after an injury don’t have a stable place to live, a college degree or a back-up career.
“You haven’t put down roots because you’ve served your country for 10 years … There is no fallback plan,” Vesey said. “When people enter this high-risk career and that career is cut short through no fault of their own to serve our country, I think it’s paramount that our country is there to serve them.”
Angelica Stabile is a lifestyle reporter for Fox News Digital.
Article source: https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/americas-wounded-struggling-veterans-get-brand-new-homes-built-florida-teens