St. Louis, Mo.—The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) provided flooring for its 56th home in support of the Gary Sinise Foundation R.I.S.E. program (Restoring Independence Supporting Empowerment). The R.I.S.E. program builds custom, specially adapted smart homes for severely wounded veterans and first responders.
The home dedication for United States Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer (Ret.), Kenton Stacy, took place on May 21 in Poway, Calif. Flooring for the project was donated by NWFA member, WD Flooring, and installation was donated by NWFA member, West Coast Flooring.
Senior Chief Petty Officer Stacy served as an explosive ordinance disposal technician. He was injured by an improvised explosive device (IED) in 2017 while stationed in Syria. The explosion resulted in the loss of both legs and both arms as well as his left eye.
“Senior Chief Petty Officer Stacy joined the Navy shortly after marrying his high school sweetheart,” said Michael Martin, NWFA president and chief executive officer. “He initially planned to serve four years before enrolling in college but he loved both the military community and his job, so chose to continue his military career. He received numerous awards during his years of service, including a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star and three Navy Achievement medals. He also was named the USO Sailor of the Year in 2010. We’re honored to partner with WD Flooring and West Coast Flooring to provide beautiful wood floors for his new home.”
In addition to the 56 homes already completed, NWFA said it is working with its members to source wood flooring for 14 additional R.I.S.E. homes in various stages of planning and construction. Currently, 142 NWFA member companies have donated product, logistics and installation services in locations throughout the United States, with a total value of more than $5.2 million, according to the NWFA.