HOUSTON, Jan. 19, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The City of Houston will again show its support of America's veterans by presenting Homes for Our Troops with a Proclamation declaring Homes for Our Troops Day - 2009. Houston City Councilmember Peter Brown, who is a U.S. Army veteran, will present Tom Benoit, Chief Financial Officer for Homes for Our Troops, with the Proclamation on Wednesday, January 21, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. at Houston City Hall Rotunda. Homes for Our Troops is also generously supported by the members and volunteers of Houston-based Oilfield Helping Hands, a 501(c)(3) a non-profit, charitable organization comprised of oil & gas businesses located in Houston and the surrounding metroplex.
Homes for Our Troops (HFOT) (www.homesforourtroops.org), a nationwide, non-profit, non-partisan organization founded in 2004, builds or modifies specially adapted homes for our most severely wounded soldiers returning home from combat with life-altering disabilities, at no cost to the veteran.
The 2nd Annual Homes for Our Troops Sporting Clays Tournament, sponsored by Energy Corporation of America, will be held Friday, January 23 and Saturday, January 24, 2009 at Baroid on the Brazos in Fulshear. Baroid on the Brazos is located just a short drive west of Houston, on the Brazos River, at 3575 Bowser Rd., Fulshear 77441. Tournament flights are 8:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. both Friday and Saturday. This event is not just for the shooter. The entire family is invited to come out and show their support of our troops. In addition to tournament play, other activities and exhibits will include:
-- The Memorial Wall to the Texas Fallen -- A memorial with the
photographs and names etched on ceramic tiles of nearly 400
Texas soldiers who have died while fighting in Afghanistan
and Iraq;
-- Aerial performances by the West Houston Squadron of the
Commemorative Air Force in WWII aircraft;
-- Exhibitions and antics by Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
Clowns and Ropers;
-- Displays of American military vehicles, equipment, tents,
uniforms and weaponry -- everything from an 1884 hearse to
present day armored Humvee;
-- Sharpshooting exhibitions by retired Marine and Gold Star
Father Gary Qualls;
-- Performances by the Lone Star Cowgirls -- Texas' female
mounted precision drill team;
-- Rolling tributes by the Patriot Guard Riders;
-- The Collings Foundation will be selling rides in a restored
UH-1E Huey helicopter;
-- Houston Mounted Police will perform demonstrations of the
role of horses in law enforcement;
-- Musical performances by the country, gospel and patriotic
singer/songwriting Bill Nash Family;
-- Liberty and Law display -- A traveling replica of the Liberty
Bell;
-- Honored guests -- American POWs from WWII, Korea and Vietnam,
and veterans from around the country who are recipients of
homes built by Homes for Our Troops.
One HFOT home costs an average of $375,000 to retrofit or build, not including the land. Each home is specifically adapted to the needs of the veteran and his or her family. Often, the veterans require more assistance than one adult can provide, so quarters are built into the home for either relatives or care-givers to assist the veteran. In many cases, voice-activated equipment is incorporated to allow the veteran to control his or her environment. Large spaces are common to allow for wheelchairs or other mobility equipment. Or when vision is lost, walls and floors are finished with different textures for easier navigation throughout the home.
It is through generous donations, volunteer help from the community, and fundraising events like this Sporting Clays Tournament, that Homes for Our Troops can build each home at no cost to the veteran.