St. Louis, Miss.—The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) provided flooring for its 59th 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 Petty Officer 2nd Class (Ret.) Daniel “Doc” Jacobs took place on Aug. 26, in Vista, Calif. Flooring for the project was donated by NWFA member WD Flooring.
Petty Officer Jacobs enlisted in the Navy in 2004 and was deployed to Iraq after completing Corpsman training. In 2006, six months into his seven-month deployment, he was severely injured in an IED explosion that took two lives, left two soldiers as amputees and resulted in other serious injuries.
“Following his injuries, Petty Officer Jacobs became the Navy’s first amputee Corpsman,” says Michael Martin, NWFA president and CEO. “This put him in the position of being the first amputee of all Navy personnel to return to a deployable infantry unit, which speaks to his determination to serve. We’re honored to partner with WD Flooring to provide beautiful wood floors for his new home.”
In addition to the 59 homes already completed, NWFA said it is working with its members to source wood flooring for 13 additional R.I.S.E. homes in various stages of planning and construction. Currently, 143 NWFA member companies have donated product, logistics and installation services in locations throughout the United States, with a total value of more than $5.7 million, according to the company.