St. Louis, Mo.–The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) has provided flooring for its 77th home in support of the Gary Sinise Foundation R.I.S.E. program (Restoring Independence Supporting Empowerment). The home dedication for U.S. Navy Petty Officer First Class (Ret.) Joshua Geddis took place on April 25, in Coburg, Ore.
PO1 Geddis always wanted to join the military. Following basic training, he was stationed in Gulfport, Miss., making three deployments to Japan, Indonesia, Iraq and the Philippines. After transferring to Oak Harbor, Wash., he made two deployments to East Africa. In 2017, while upgrading the securities of the Forward Operating Base, one of the barriers became unstable and fell on him, causing paralysis below the waist.
“The wall falling on Petty Officer First Class Geddis weighed more than 4,500 pounds,” said Michael Martin, NWFA president and CEO. “It crushed his L1, resulting in immediate paralysis. His road to recovery has not been easy, but his spirits have remained unwavering.”
Flooring for the project was donated by NWFA member Denver Hardwoods. Installation services were provided by New Dimension Hardwood Floors. “We’re honored to partner with Denver Hardwoods and New Dimension Hardwood Floors to provide beautiful wood floors for his new home,” Martin added.
The R.I.S.E. program builds mortgage-free, custom, specially adapted smart homes for severely wounded veterans and first responders. In addition to the 77 homes already completed, NWFA currently is working with its members to source wood flooring for 12 additional R.I.S.E. homes in various stages of planning and construction. Currently, 157 NWFA member companies have donated product, logistics, and installation services in locations throughout the United States, with a total value of more than $6.9 million.
A list of all NWFA R.I.S.E. participating companies can be found online. To learn more about the program, and how you and/or your company can get involved, contact the NWFA at 800.422.4556, or e-mail them at anita.howard@nwfa.org.