St. Louis, Mo.–The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) has provided flooring for its 73rd home in support of the Gary Sinise Foundation R.I.S.E. program (Restoring Independence Supporting Empowerment). The R.I.S.E. program builds mortgage-free, custom, specially adapted smart homes for severely wounded veterans and first responders. The home dedication for police officer (Ret.) Mark Priebe took place on October 24, in Republic, Mo. Flooring for the project was donated by NWFA member Mannington.
Officer Priebe joined the police force at the age of 21. He graduated from the police academy and started serving the community of Aurora, Mo. before moving to a larger community in Springfield, Mo. In 2020, while on duty at the police headquarters, he responded to a disturbance at the front of the building. While assessing the situation with his sergeant, Officer Priebe was run over by the suspect, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.
“The suspect who injured Officer Priebe intended to do so,” said NWFA president and CEO, Michael Martin. “He texted a friend that morning with his plan to run over an officer. Upon Officer Priebe’s arrival at the disturbance, the suspect turned his wheels toward him, accelerated, struck him and dragged him under the car. Officer Priebe sustained severe injuries, including a broken back that left him paralyzed from the waist down. We’re honored to partner with Mannington to provide beautiful wood floors for his new home.”
In addition to the 73 homes already completed, NWFA currently 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, 153 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 here.