STATESVILLE, N.C.–Purple Heart Homes, a national public charity, has launched its inaugural Operation Veteran Home Renovation campaign, which it said is designed to engage and recruit the credit union movement to help spruce up homes that mostly older veterans own.
As part of the initiative, Purple Heart Homes said it has joined forces with the Cornerstone Credit Union League, which serves approximately 500 credit unions in Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas; Georgia Credit Union Affiliates, which has 121 member credit unions; and the Southeastern Credit Union League, which serves 298 credit unions in Florida and Alabama.
Credit unions that participate in Operation Veteran Home Renovation will identify a veteran whose home needs a ramp, grab bars, railings, a yard cleaned up, or a fresh coat of paint. Credit unions will raise the funds for the projects, most of which can be completed by credit union staff and community volunteers in a day or two. The average cost of a project is $5,000, according to the organization.
“In Georgia there are 304,270 veterans that served in Vietnam, Korea, and World War II,” said Georgia Credit Union Affiliates CEO Mike Mercer in a statement. “Older veterans are oftentimes overlooked and ignored. They live on fixed income and face increased taxes and a higher cost of living. Many times, because of age and disability, older veterans are not able to keep up with the maintenance on their homes, which is why we joined forces with Purple Heart Homes to do something special for them."
Added Cornerstone President Dick Ensweiler, "We are so committed to this campaign that our league and staff are going to help renovate a home for 99-year-old Santiago Diaz, a WWII veteran living in Fort Worth. We have reached out to all of our credit unions to urge them to either help renovate a home or donate directly to Purple Heart Homes/Credit Unions Care so they can help more veterans remain safely in their own homes."
The 2016 Purple Heart Homes campaign, Operation Veteran Home Renovation, kicked off this week. Participating leagues and credit unions will have until Nov. 12 to complete a project or make a donation directly to Purple Heart Homes.
For info: www.purplehearthomesusa.org.