SAL1 Greenville Drive

Construction Begins on Home for Greenville Military Family

Published on November 9, 2018 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Greenville Drive News Release


GREENVILLE, S.C. - Habitat for Humanity, a leading voice for affordable housing initiatives in South Carolina, was joined by Duke Energy, the Greenville Drive and other key partners for a wall-raising ceremony to celebrate the start of construction on a home for T.J. and Felicia Rush of Greenville and their two daughters, a proud Air Force veteran family.

The wall-raising event is the culmination of the season-long "Home Runs for Heroes" campaign, through which Duke Energy pledged a contribution to Habitat for Humanity of Greenville County's Veteran Build program for each home run hit by a Greenville Drive player. Through this funding effort, Duke Energy has pledged $25,000 toward the construction of the Rush Family home, and employees from both Duke Energy and the Greenville Drive are volunteering to help with construction.

As Veterans Day approaches, it's important to note that our nation's veterans are experiencing an affordable housing crisis. According to a recent nationwide study, more than one in four (26 percent) of the approximately 20 million U.S. veteran households experienced a housing cost burden, and more than 1.5 million veteran households were severely cost burdened, spending more than 50 percent of their income on housing. The goal of this construction effort and Habitat for Humanity's national Veterans' Build program is to employ a public/private/nonprofit partnership approach to changing those sobering statistics, one family at a time.

Like all Habitat Homeowners, T.J. and Felicia have completed a rigorous financial education process and invested hundreds of hours of sweat equity building other homes to help earn the right to secure a mortgage and purchase their own home.

"Veterans have an amazing impact on communities when they return home to build families and careers," said Kodwo Ghartey-Tagoe, state president for Duke Energy in South Carolina. "When our communities succeed, we succeed. Together, through partnerships with organizations like Habitat for Humanity and the Greenville Drive, we can support our veterans and help them make a lasting impact on and in the communities where we all live and work."

Other major donors who have contributed funds to help offset costs for the Homes for Heroes effort include the John I. Smith Charities, Bank of America, BMW Manufacturing, Piedmont Natural Gas, AFL, South Carolina Ports Authority and the Grainger Foundation, with support from the Forestry Association of SC, Starr Electric and the Furman University student chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

"It is shocking and distressing to know that many veteran families face extreme difficulty in finding affordable housing here in Greenville and in cities across the country," said Monroe Free, Executive Director of Habitat Greenville. "At Veterans Day and always, Habitat Greenville and our generous and valued partners like Duke Energy and the Greenville Drive honor the sacrifices military families have made to protect this country we all call home by providing a hand-up to help them build and purchase homes of their own. We are proud of how the Greenville community has come together to address this important and pressing issue."

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South Atlantic League Stories from November 9, 2018


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