With more than 1 million veterans considered at risk for homelessness and hundreds of thousands more impacted by disabilities, builders and the entire residential construction industry make it a mission to give back to those who served. This Veterans Day, the Northeast Florida division of Lennar and Maxwell House are partnering with Operation Finally Home by donating their time and $200,000 to build mortgage-free homes for veterans in need over the next two years.
The charitable partnership will begin in Fernandina Beach near Jacksonville, Florida, where U.S. Marine Sgt. Bradley Thomas and his family will receive their new, mortgage-free home.
After serving his country for nearly eight years, Sgt. Thomas medically retired in 2015 and received numerous accolades for his patriotism. He now works as a service officer to help fellow veterans navigate benefits and health care. He also founded his own nonprofit with the mission to help vets through fishing charters and guided hunts.
“Lennar strives to make buying a new construction home an easy experience for service members like Sgt. Thomas and his family,” says Matt Devereaux, division president for Lennar Jacksonville. “We believe every sailor, soldier, and veteran deserves that rewarding feeling of owning a home. This is the second mortgage-free home Lennar has donated to a U.S. service member in the Jacksonville area. Supporting our military veterans is an important part of Lennar’s mission and always will be.”
Based in New Braunfels, Texas, Operation Finally Home was established in 2005 as a nonpartisan/nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. By partnering with corporate sponsors, builder associations, builders, remodelers, and developers, their goal is to provide homes and home modifications to America’s military heroes, first responders, and widows of the fallen.
In 2020, the organization is celebrating 15 years of honoring heroes with homes, and it recently hit a milestone of 275 projects completed or in planning stages.
“We are honored to partner with Maxwell House, Lennar, and the Jacksonville community to provide a mortgage-free home for Sgt. Thomas,” says Rusty Carroll, executive director for Operation Finally Home. “Hearing Sgt. Thomas’ story and learning about his service was extremely moving to all of us at Operation Finally Home. He has given so much back to his community, and we are grateful to be able to show our gratitude to him and his family with the gift of a new, mortgage-free home.”
Maxwell House is inviting people to join in a virtual housewarming celebration for Sgt. Thomas by using #MaxwellHousesforHeroes on Twitter until Nov. 23 to thank him for his service and congratulate him and his family on their new home.
