Homes For Our Troops
Homes For Our Troops
To the Editor:
Although neither my children nor myself are veterans, I volunteer as a fundraiser for Homes For Our Troops. Unknown to most Americans, the US government gives a one-time-only grant of less than $64,000 to wounded soldiers to make their homes handicap accessible. With the advances in modern medicine, men who used to die on the battlefield now survive, but with almost unspeakable disabilities. Some have lost their arms up to their shoulders, or have lost three out of four limbs, or are totally paralyzed. Many who have these severe wounds have also lost their eyesight and have brain trauma. Sixty-four thousand dollars doesnât even begin to adapt a house to accommodate the things that these men need. It will hardly cover a wheelchair ramp and widen a couple of doorways.
Homes for Our Troops builds severely wounded military personnel an entire custom handicap house at no cost to the soldier. However, it is up to citizens like you and I to raise the funds to build these homes. I run an annual Newtown Beautiful Baby Contest and donate 100 percent of the money raised to HFOT. HFOT has been given four stars, the highest rating by Charity Navigator, a watchdog group that makes sure that money given to charity reaches the intended goal, and not pay exorbitant salaries or for posh corporate offices.
The men who have lost both arms are just about helpless. HFOT installs a voice-activated computer to turn off lights, unlock doors, etc. A large air dryer dries them after a shower so they donât need someone to towel them off and gives back some independence. They put a hoist over the bathtub so wives and mothers donât have to attempt lifting the men who are paralyzed. The hoist holds them safely while they are bathed. They install a toilet bowl that cleans and dries you for the men that need it. Artificial legs cannot be worn for long periods of time, so for the men who need wheelchairs, the entire home is wheelchair accessible, including kitchens and bathrooms.
The Beautiful Baby Photo Contest is not a live pageant. A wooden easel holds 50 photos with a piggybank slit above each picture. The child whose photo raises the most amount of money wins the title.
Good Ideas, a parent teacher store on South Main Street would be proud to host a second booth, but I need 50 more babies to fill it. The baby need not live in Newtown and it can be your grandchild, niece or nephew. If you have friends with children or grandchildren, please suggest they enter a picture. All identities and phone numbers are blacked out with permanent marker before the photos are posted on the booth. The contest will begin June 8, but please enter your photographs now.
Mail nonreturnable 4-by-4-inch or wallet-sized photo with name and phone number and a $10 check made payable to Homes For Our Troops to: Lois Barber; 33 Zoar Road; Sandy Hook, CT 06482
Lois Barber
33 Zoar Road, Sandy Hook                                              April 4, 2012