Wounded Veterans Help Build Homes in Charleston

CHARLESTON, S.C., Feb. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nail by nail, homes began to take shape in a Charleston neighborhood, as dozens of volunteers toiled in the bright Carolina sun.

Among those volunteers, Brian Steele and a group of injured service members brought together by Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP) help to give back to the coastal community.

WWP sees service opportunities as playing a key role in the recovery of wounded veterans. Service events, outdoor opportunities, and professional sports games are just a portion of the ways the WWP Alumni program increases engagement among injured veterans. This helps create camaraderie and support among Alumni. WWP considers these wounded veterans Alumni because they earned their place in the organization, and already paid their dues on the battlefield. WWP offers 20 programs and services to injured service members, their families and caregivers free of charge.

"This was my first time ever building a home," Brian Steele, WWP Alumnus and Army veteran said. "I really enjoyed learning the complexities that go into building a house."

Brian and other wounded veterans pitched in and increased their roles, as their experience and comfort level grew.

"I started out with simply carrying plywood sheets from the front of the property to where they were needed at the back of the house," Brian said. "As my comfort increased, I began nailing the sheets onto the base of the frame. By the end of the day, I had cut wood with a circular saw and climbed a ladder to nail more sheets onto the frame."

Along with learning about what goes into turning raw resources into someone's dream home, the injured veterans also learned about each other.

"I met other WWP Alumni and people in the community," Brian said. "WWP connected us with the Palmetto Warrior Connection as well."

WWP partners with the Palmetto Warrior Connection in South Carolina to help engage wounded veterans in different events around the community.

That is just one of the more than 100 like-minded veteran service organizations WWP partners with or helps fund around the country. The goal of WWP's investment in these organizations is to increase access to programs and services provided to wounded veterans across the nation.

"WWP helps me by giving me the ability to continue to serve," Brian said. "I was medically retired, but felt I still had more to give to the military. WWP connects me to fellow service members who had their careers cut short as well, but still have the passion to serve the people of this great nation in a different capacity."

About Wounded Warrior Project
The mission of Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP) is to honor and empower Wounded Warriors. WWP's purpose is to raise awareness and to enlist the public's aid for the needs of injured service members, to help injured servicemen and women aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs. WWP is a national, nonpartisan organization headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. To get involved and learn more, visit woundedwarriorproject.org.

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SOURCE Wounded Warrior Project