1. Homes for Our Troops and ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

Clarksville, TN - Homes for Our Troops teamed up with the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” crew to build a new home for Master Sgt. Luis Rodriquez, an Army medic who was severely injured delivering supplies to an orphanage in Iraq.

Homes for Our Troops provided a talented mix of professional craftsmen from Massachusetts and Rhode Island to help the EMHE design crew with their special projects. The Homes for Our Troops crew worked tirelessly with the EMHE Art Department to craft the special furniture for the children’s theme rooms, created an outdoor café and pitched in wherever they could help. Millions of viewers will tune in to ABC’s hit TV show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition aired in September 2005 and chronicled the complete, seven day, race-against-the-clock, tear-down and reconstruction of the Rodriquez family home in Clarksville, TN. The show featured team leader Ty Pennington, Paul DiMeo, Ed Sanders, Preston Sharp and Paige Hemmis

Sgt. Rodriguez, a medic with the Army's 101st Airborne Division, was injured when his Humvee was hit by a roadside bomb near Mosul, Iraq, in an ambush in November 2003. He lost his right leg and two fingertips in the attack, which occurred as the convoy was picking up supplies for orphans in the war-torn country. Sgt. Rodriquez and his family were sent on a 7 day vacation courtesy of ABC while EMHE, members of the 101st Airborne Division, and Homes for Our Troops tore down the Rodriquez’s home and then built a brand new home with special modifications to help Sgt. Rodriquez deal with the challenges of his injuries sustained in Iraq.

    
Kirt Rebello & Douglas Desmarais                John Gonsalves with Design Team             Sgt. Rodriguez Home After

See more images of the home project in Clarksville, TN...

2. A Home for CPL. Bobby Isaacs was completed in 48 hours with the help of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

Homes for Our Troops purchased this home for CPL. Bobby Isaacs of North Carolina. The home was in need of handicap adaptations to meet Bobby's special needs.

This project was made possible with the help and generosity of our friends at:
The Avon Foundation

and
ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

Thanks to ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and the VERY GENEROUS outpouring of Roxboro area support, we renovated Bobby's house in a couple of days ... the folks of Roxboro were a HUGE help and have allot to be proud of!! Congratulations Bobby and Charlotte, we hope that you enjoy your new home!

  Meeting with Paige Hemis                                    Bobby in front of his home                               Bobby's home After      
& the HFOT Crew   

 See more images of the home adaptation project in Roxboro, NC...

3. Homes for Our Troops assisted Extreme Makeover: Home Edition once again for the Westbrook family of Lawton, OK.

EXTREME X 3!  ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition invited the crew from Homes for Our Troops to be a part of a third home makeover! .  

The Westbrooks' New Home	Assistive Bathroom	Wheelchair Friendly Wood Working Shop for Father and Son

About the Westbrook Family: Gene Westbrook, the father of three children -- Elizabeth, Katie and James -- volunteered to fight in Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he was left paralyzed and received a purple heart. After being medically discharged from the military, he devoted his time to speaking about his experiences and helping others in his town. Along with his wife, Peggy, they are respected members of a close knit community, but Gene had to jump through many hoops just to be able to afford a handicapped-accessible van that allowed him to drive.

On June 10, 2006, a year after Gene was paralyzed in Iraq, a second tragedy hit the Westbrooks. While on their way to a friend's house, the wheel of their van evidently became loose, causing Gene to drive across oncoming traffic and the vehicle to roll over in a ravine. The family doesn't remember much about the accident, but suffered serious injuries: Son James was paralyzed from the waist down, daughter Katie required surgery to remove one of her kidneys, and Gene broke his ankle and knee and now suffers from short-term memory loss. With over a million dollars in medical bills, the Westbrooks can't afford to make their house accessible for someone in a wheelchair, let alone two people. This double tragedy has been very tough on Peggy, though she has shown great courage in keeping the family together during their difficulties.

Gene is a hero, wounded fighting for his country; Homes for Our Troops helped Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to make the Westbrook home safe and handicapped-accessible, and in turn give Gene and James the freedom that they so want back.

View the photo gallery on the EMHE website http://abc.go.com/primetime/xtremehome/gallery/420.html?photo=2