We’re happy to say that the plot of land we stood on months ago in Golden, Colo. has now been transformed into a new home for disabled Iraq veteran SSG Travis Strong and his family.  DNCC staff joined local credit unions, the Colorado Building Trades Council and the National Journal Group in the Homes for our Troops Build Brigade this weekend -- a truly remarkable project.  With the help of hundreds of volunteers, what started on Friday as a concrete building base became a fully-built weather-proof house by Sunday.  Also visiting the site and Strong family over the weekend were DNCC CEO Leah D. Daughtry, Lieutenant Governor Barbara O’Brien, Congressman and Senatorial candidate Mark Udall and Congressman Ed Perlmutter.  Take a look at this video to see how such an amazing project came together and why it matters so much.

In February we posted about the great Homes for our Troops project that we have undertaken with the Republican National Convention, the Credit Union National Association and the National Journal Group.  In the months leading up to the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, staff in both Colorado and Minnesota will work to build a house in each Convention host city for severely wounded American troops.

We are now happy to say that we have come one step closer to providing a specially adapted home to Staff Sergeant (SSG) Travis Strong and his family here in Colorado.  On a plot of land in the town of Golden, representatives of the partner organizations, including our own CEO, Leah Daughtry, broke ground with the Strong family during a late-winter Colorado storm yesterday morning.  Despite the cold, there was tremendous excitement in the small tent filled with media, organization members and family supporters.



As part of our DNCC Service Days initiative, our Convention staff is now eager to get involved with the construction of the Strong family household.  As Leah said at yesterday’s event, “We’re looking forward to hammering some nails, hanging some dry wall and laying some sod, as this will be a labor of love for a true American hero.”

Be sure to check back on the blog to find out about our progress with Homes for our Troops.

While me might seem like unlikely allies, we’re putting aside our differences and joining forces with our counterparts in St. Paul to build two new homes to support Homes for Our Troops, a non-profit organization committed to building specially adapted homes across the United States for severely wounded American troops.

In the months leading up to the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, staff in both Colorado and Minnesota will work with Homes for Our Troops, the Credit Union National Association and the National Journal Group to build a house in each Convention host city. The homes, uniquely outfitted for the special needs of these great Americans, will be presented to veterans around our respective Conventions.
 
 
 
The Denver home will go to Staff Sergeant (SSG) Travis Strong, his wife Misty, daughter Brianna and son Sean. Originally from California, Strong entered the Army after graduating from high school and has served for the past 11 years. During his second tour of duty in Iraq in November 2006, while on patrol as Vehicle Commander for Stryker Brigade  1-23, Travis lost both of his legs when an explosion rocked his platoon.

After about a year in Walter Reed Medical Center, Travis and his family moved to San Diego, CA, for his rehabilitation therapy in January 2007. Travis loves the outdoors and is determined to return to the activities he loved before his injury. Since returning from Iraq, he has spent time in Colorado learning how to mono-ski. Travis and his family are looking forward to moving in to their new home and taking advantage of their new life in the Rocky Mountain West – and we’re incredibly proud to lend a hand in making that possible.

To read more about this project, click here.