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Duquesne Light Company and the Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show Join Forces With Homes for our Troops To Help Local Soldier PITTSBURGH, March 7 /PRNewswire James Fair's story is one that'sheard on almost a daily basis: a U.S. soldier in Iraq sustains a life-altering injury due to a roadside bomb. In James' case, an explosion in November 2003 left the Coraopolis soldier completely blind and took both of his hands. The blast also sent shrapnel throughout James' body, severely injuring his right leg and causing a traumatic brain injury. Fast forward to 2007, where Duquesne Light and the Home & Garden Show are teaming up with Homes for our Troops to assist James as he continues to move forward in his recovery. Their goal is to raise funds to build James a new home, at no cost to his family, that is carefully and thoroughly adapted to meet his special needs. "Since James no longer has hands, his challenges for overcoming blindness are significantly greater than most who are blind," said John Gonsalves, president and founder of Taunton, Mass.-based Homes for our Troops. "There will be unique home adaptations that few builders have had to consider, but this young man deserves a place that will allow him to continue on his path to a normal life." Some of the items that will be needed for James' unique situation are voice activated appliances, controls that can be operated with his feet, proximity readers that open and close doors automatically, and varying floor textures in each room, so he will be able to sense, by touch, which room he is in. During the 2007 Home & Garden Show, scheduled for March 9-18 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Duquesne Light and Homes for our Troops will display many of the unique products and adaptations that will go into the new home. Visitors also will have the opportunity to contribute money toward the project, and with a minimum donation of $5, sign a personal message to James and his family on a 6-by-40-foot donation wall. In addition, children will be able to make their own get-well cards for injured soldiers at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. The cards will be delivered after the Home & Garden Show. "We feel this is a very important project for Duquesne Light to bring to the public's attention," said Richard Sieber, corporate communications manager for the company. "The Home & Garden Show is the perfect venue to raise awareness, materials and funds to help James and Homes for our Troops." About Homes for our Troops Homes for our Troops, based in Taunton, Mass., is a non-profit, non- partisan organization founded in 2004. The organization is strongly committed to helping those who have selflessly given to their country and have returned home with serious disabilities and injuries. They assist injured service men and women and their immediate families by raising donations of money, building materials and professional labor and coordinating the process of building a new home or adapting an existing home for handicapped accessibility. All services provided by Homes for Our Troops are at no cost to the veterans. About Duquesne Light Company Duquesne Light Company is a leader in the transmission and distribution of electric energy, offering superior customer service and reliability to more than half a million customers throughout southwestern Pennsylvania. SOURCE Duquesne Light Company |
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