Wednesday, June 8, 2005

 

Building homes for America's war heroes

Mayfield Homes is joining forces with The Coalition to Salute America's Heroes and the Veterans Administration to build a fully accessible 3,000-square-foot home in Wilkerson Mill Park in Palmetto in South Fulton County for disabled Iraq War Veteran Tracy Jones and his wife Johnnie.

This is the first home constructed for a severely disabled War on Terror veteran as part of the Coalition's national Homes for Wheelchair-Restricted and Disabled Heroes program.

Construction officially began on Thursday at a groundbreaking ceremony in Wilkerson Mill Park attended by Fulton County Commissioner Bill Edwards, Palmetto Mayor J. Clark Boddie, executives from Mayfield Homes and The Coalition to Salute America's Heroes plus the Jones family, friends and neighbors. Soldiers wounded while serving in Iraq attending the groundbreaking, in addition to Jones, included J.R. Martinez of Dalton, who was severely burned when his Humvee hit a landmine, and B. J. Jackson of Des Moines, Iowa.

While serving in Iraq, Jones was involved in a vehicle collision that left him a quadriplegic. The Coalition to Salute America's Heroes has given him a $200,000 grant to have a fully accessible home constructed. The Veterans Administration is also providing a $50,000 grant for the construction.

Mayfield Homes is working with sub-contractors who are donating time and materials to ensure that the Coalition and VA grants cover most of the construction cost.

The home is a 3,000-sq-ft. ranch that is being completely modified to make it 100 percent accessible. The floor plan of the Jones home is the same as the Hampton model in Wilkerson Mill Park that was open for viewing during the groundbreaking ceremony.

"This new home is an answer to my family's prayers," said Jones, who currently resides in a two-bedroom apartment in Fairburn and receives treatment at the VA medical facility in Augusta. "I came home from Iraq without the use of my legs and only limited use of my arms. I can't walk or feed myself, or get in the bathtub without a lot of help. My wheelchair can barely fit down the hallway. This is the best gift anyone could give us."

"We live in the Palmetto-Fairburn area and so do members of my family," Johnnie Jones said. "My uncle suggested we take a look at the Wilkerson Mill Park Community. We followed his advice and knew immediately it was the place for us. The Mayfield staff couldn’t have been more helpful in answering our questions and working with us to custom design the home for our special needs."

"We are proud to be associated with the work the Coalition is doing," said Mayfield President Sean Doughtie. "Our company takes pride in being part of the community and making a positive difference in peoples' lives. I don't know where you would find a better example of that than this joint effort involving Tracy and Johnnie Jones, the Coalition and Mayfield."

Based in McLean, VA, The Coalition to Salute America's Heroes is a non-partisan, non-profit organization created to provide an easy and meaningful way for individuals, corporations and others to help severely wounded and disabled veterans and their families rebuild their lives. For more information on the Coalition, go to www.saluteheroes.org.

Wilkerson Mill Park is located in Palmetto in South Fulton County across the street from Wilkerson Mill Farris Park, which is part of the Fulton County park system. It features 55 homes on 1-to-4-acre lots priced from $200,000 to $300,000. The community features a variety of floor plans and elevations that can be individually customized.

To reach Wilkerson Mill Park, take I-85 south to exit 61. Travel north onto Hwy 74 (Fairburn Industrial Blvd.) for one mile. Turn left onto SR-14/Hwy 29 entrance, bear right and travel approximately three miles south. Turn right onto Wilkerson Mill Road.

For additional information on Wilkerson Mill Park, call Robert Stephens at 770-463-0004.

Other Mayfield communities in the Atlanta area include Chestnut Lake (Lithonia), Brookwood (College Park), Ivy Creek (Union City), Newton's Crest (Snellville) and Ashwood Estates (Fairburn). For additional information on Mayfield Homes, call 770-326-6658 or go to www.mayfieldhomes.info.