Shop and dine event to fund adapted homes for wounded veterans

With Memorial Day on the horizon, The Shops at Highland Village is partnering with non-profit Helping A Hero to host an event on Thursday for shoppers and diners to benefit wounded veterans.

Shoppers can take advantage of exclusive specials and promotions from stores and restaurants in The Shops at Highland Village with the purchase of a Helping A Hero wristband.

Participating vendors will also donate a percentage of sales made between 6 and 9 p.m. to the Helping A Hero organization to benefit the construction of adapted homes for severely wounded veterans.  Local veterans will also be honored during a patriotic ceremony at 8:30 p.m.

“We are excited at the opportunity to introduce locals to some of the incredible veterans in our Wounded Hero Home Program,” said retired Army Colonel and Helping A Hero Executive Director, Jeff Ragland. “Helping A Hero understands the critical role the community plays in the lives of these veterans as they adjust to their ‘new normal.’ We want to empower our Heroes by giving them a hand up, not a handout.”

Helping A Hero adapted homes are not free.  The homes are typically valued at $250,000 and, unlike similar organizations, are provided to veterans for a mortgage of about $50,000 and a commitment to reside in the home for at least 10 years.

The non-profit is currently working on an adapted home for Staff Sgt. (Ret.) Johnnie Yellock II, USAF in Lantana.  Yellock (pictured above) and other veterans will be present at Salute-Shop-Serve-Support to meet members of the community and support Helping A Hero’s mission to “Empower Wounded Heroes—One Home at a Time.”

To participate in Salute-Shop-Serve-Support, guests may purchase a Helping A Hero wristband for $25 at The Shops at Highland Village before and during the event on Thursday.  Participants will also receive a free, first-edition Helping A Hero t-shirt for their support.

Helping A Hero is guided by the motto “Empowering Wounded Heroes—One Home at a Time.”  The Houston-based organization is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides specially adapted homes for severely wounded post 9/11 veterans.  Through the generosity of patriots across the nation, Helping A Hero has awarded over 100 homes in 22 states since 2006.  These adapted homes promote transition from military to civilian life and allow wounded veterans to regain some of their lost independence.

Learn more about Helping A Hero at www.HelpingAHero.org.