Disabled War Vet Sees New Home As A Blessing
Houston Chronicle
August 14, 2007
Disabled War Vet Sees New Home As A Blessing
With house program, Houston Rotary Club and others hope to make the return to civilian life easier for troops injured in Iraq and Afghanistan
By Rosanna Ruiz, Houston Chronicle
It wasn't your typical move-in day for Paul Gardner and his new bride, Ashley.
While Ashley stood beside her husband, seated in his wheelchair, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, presented the couple with a ceremonial key to their new Sugar Land home.
"I didn't think I would have this nice of a house at the age of 25," said Gardner, who was shot and paralyzed during a house-to-house sweep of insurgents near Baghdad in 2003 while serving as a Marine corporal. "Every time I come into this home I feel so blessed."
The cost of the new home was covered almost entirely by the Rotary Club of Houston's "Wounded Hero Home Program," which aims to ease wounded veterans back into civilian life. Perry Homes and Riverstone Development Co. each donated about $50,000, leaving the Gardners to come up with $50,000 on their end.
The program is a venture between the city of Houston, 57 area Rotary Clubs, the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes and donors including H-E-B, Phoenix Blinds and Gallery Furniture. The Gardners are the first to receive a home, but Rotarians hope to provide homes by the end of the year to 14 other veterans wounded in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"It's very ambitious and we're going to do it," said Meredith Iler, chairwoman of the program that will serve as a model for a national effort. "We're going to show America what can be done when we get together as a community."
Every inch of the 2,800-square-foot home was built with Gardner's needs in mind. Doorways are 3 feet wide and the floors are covered in tile and hardwood so he can wheel around easily. Countertops in the kitchen are within his reach and his wheelchair fits below the island. The master bath has a "roll in" shower and the closets are fitted with lowered rods.
"I can get into all the closets," he said. "It's all perfect for me."
Gardner's parents, Danny and Brenda Gardner, of Oklahoma, made the trip down to see the new home. Danny Gardner said he could hardly describe his feelings when he found out his son had been wounded four years ago. The new home, he said, would help his son and daughter-in-law start their new lives together.
Ashley's grandmother, Lillian Alexander, said she had already laid claim to a guest room.
"That front bedroom will be mine," she joked.
Neighbors Roger and Amy Hoover, along with their three boys, were also among their visitors Monday. They had presented the Gardners with $1,000 in gift certificates to spend at local retail stores so they can stock their new home.
"We're lucky to have them and they're lucky to have us," Amy Hoover said. "We have a great neighborhood."
The new home also comes with the Rotary Club's promise to provide mentors as the Gardners start up a photography studio in Sugar Land. Gardner said he and Ashley will get to work on their new business venture as soon as things quiet down.
First, they have to take a honeymoon trip to Las Vegas.
August 14, 2007
Disabled War Vet Sees New Home As A Blessing
With house program, Houston Rotary Club and others hope to make the return to civilian life easier for troops injured in Iraq and Afghanistan
By Rosanna Ruiz, Houston Chronicle
It wasn't your typical move-in day for Paul Gardner and his new bride, Ashley.
While Ashley stood beside her husband, seated in his wheelchair, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, presented the couple with a ceremonial key to their new Sugar Land home.
"I didn't think I would have this nice of a house at the age of 25," said Gardner, who was shot and paralyzed during a house-to-house sweep of insurgents near Baghdad in 2003 while serving as a Marine corporal. "Every time I come into this home I feel so blessed."
The cost of the new home was covered almost entirely by the Rotary Club of Houston's "Wounded Hero Home Program," which aims to ease wounded veterans back into civilian life. Perry Homes and Riverstone Development Co. each donated about $50,000, leaving the Gardners to come up with $50,000 on their end.
The program is a venture between the city of Houston, 57 area Rotary Clubs, the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes and donors including H-E-B, Phoenix Blinds and Gallery Furniture. The Gardners are the first to receive a home, but Rotarians hope to provide homes by the end of the year to 14 other veterans wounded in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"It's very ambitious and we're going to do it," said Meredith Iler, chairwoman of the program that will serve as a model for a national effort. "We're going to show America what can be done when we get together as a community."
Every inch of the 2,800-square-foot home was built with Gardner's needs in mind. Doorways are 3 feet wide and the floors are covered in tile and hardwood so he can wheel around easily. Countertops in the kitchen are within his reach and his wheelchair fits below the island. The master bath has a "roll in" shower and the closets are fitted with lowered rods.
"I can get into all the closets," he said. "It's all perfect for me."
Gardner's parents, Danny and Brenda Gardner, of Oklahoma, made the trip down to see the new home. Danny Gardner said he could hardly describe his feelings when he found out his son had been wounded four years ago. The new home, he said, would help his son and daughter-in-law start their new lives together.
Ashley's grandmother, Lillian Alexander, said she had already laid claim to a guest room.
"That front bedroom will be mine," she joked.
Neighbors Roger and Amy Hoover, along with their three boys, were also among their visitors Monday. They had presented the Gardners with $1,000 in gift certificates to spend at local retail stores so they can stock their new home.
"We're lucky to have them and they're lucky to have us," Amy Hoover said. "We have a great neighborhood."
The new home also comes with the Rotary Club's promise to provide mentors as the Gardners start up a photography studio in Sugar Land. Gardner said he and Ashley will get to work on their new business venture as soon as things quiet down.
First, they have to take a honeymoon trip to Las Vegas.
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