Evans, GA blocks the building of a home for a wounded soldier from being build in their community.
SFC Sean Gittens
Evans, GA
Army SFC Sean Gittens was left paralyzed and unable to speak or communicate as a result of a battle related traumatic brain injury. Deployed for the third time in his career, SFC Gittens suffered multiple concussive traumas throughout his year-long deployment to Iraq from April 2007-April 2008. Upon returning home, suffering from headaches and other head-injury related symptoms, SFC Gittens suffered an aneurism in his brain and a subsequent stroke which left him with paralyzed and non-communicative. Treated at multiple hospitals, both military and civilian, SFC Gittens now receives care from trained medical personnel in his home.
SFC Gittens and his wife Sharon have four children and they enjoy spending time together as a family. Prior to his injuries Sean enjoyed basketball, swimming and music. He also loved playing games with his family. Praying for a miracle, Sharon says the entire family enjoys including Sean in their activities whenever possible, and continues to participate in the things together that he enjoyed before his injury.
"Thank you for all that you do to support our men and women who risk their lives for our freedom. The assistance of receiving a specially adapted home from Homes for Our Troops will eliminate many of our daily challenges and give Sean the freedom to have access to his entire home...he will be able to interact more with our family." (Sharon Gittens when asked how she expects a Homes for Our Troops home will improve SFC Sean Gittens’ day to day living.)
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Project Updates!
Dear Supporters,
It is with great sadness that I write to inform you that the Build Brigade scheduled for June24th at Knob Hill for SFC Sean Gittens and his family has been cancelled. Despite initial approval from the Knob Hill Home Owners Association and the requisite permits, HOA President Rick Trump has informed us the Knob Hill Board of Directors initiated the issuance of a cease and desist order on our plans and decided they do not want HFOT to build our home for the Gittens family in their community. The reason cited was they feel the home will decrease homeowner property values. You should know that our home meets the size criteria in their property guidelines. Over the past few months, we have worked very closely to modify our home plan to meet requirements the HOA requested, and we hoped they would act in good faith once we met their conditions. This is the first time throughout the entire United States that a community has not welcomed a Homes for Our Troops home for a severely injured veteran. However shocking this is, I can assure you that the Knob Hill Home Owners Association is not representative of the way most Americans feel about wounded veterans. It appears that we must now move ahead to find another location, and a community who will be supportive and welcome this military family into their neighborhood. We ask all of our supporters to remain committed to this family as we move forward to making their dream come true.
Thank you,
John Gonsalves
President and Founder
For more information please see www.homesforourtroops.org/knobhillseangittens
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