Natural Stone Institute Completes 22nd R.I.S.E. Home
ADAMS, Tenn. — The Natural Stone Institute provided natural stone and fabrication services for its 22nd home with the Gary Sinise Foundation’s R.I.S.E. program (Restoring Independence Supporting Empowerment).
Natural stone and fabrication in the new home of U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Gary Linfoot (Ret.) and his family were provided by Northern Stone Supply, Triton Stone Group, and Smokey Mountain Tops.
New Residence
The R.I.S.E. program builds specially adapted smart homes for severely wounded veterans and first responders.
The foundation dedicated Linfoot’s home on May 10.
Linfoot enlisted in the Army Reserve after graduating high school in the hopes of becoming a helicopter pilot. After attending flight school and graduating as a warrant officer in 1990, he joined the Army’s elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) (SOAR(A)) in 1997.
On May 31, 2008, while conducting operations in Iraq, LInfoot’s helicopter suffered a catastrophic mechanical failure. The helicopter crash-landed, injuring Gary severely. Medics evacuated him to Germany for spine-stabilization surgery, and treatment took him from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington to the Tampa, Fla., VA Hospital and finally the Shepherd Center in Atlanta. His broken back paralyzed Linfoot from the waist down.
After three months of recovery, Linfoot returned home to a very new kind of life. Gary and his wife Mari have raised three children over their 26-year marriage. They fight to overcome Gary’s disability together and have had remarkable success. Wearing an exoskeleton suit, Gary walked his oldest daughter Allysa down the aisle on her wedding day in 2016, and he currently works as a helicopter simulator instructor pilot with the 160th SOAR(A) at Fort Campbell, Ky.
“Being involved with the R.I.S.E. program enables our industry to take a leadership role in supporting these veterans and their families who have endured so much to protect our freedoms,” said Laura Grandlienard (ROCKin’teriors, Raleigh, N.C.), chair of the Natural Stone Institute R.I.S.E. committee. “We feel tremendous pride in sharing our talents for such an important cause. It’s a beautiful feeling to say ‘welcome home’ to these heroes.”
More than 50 institute members have donated their time, products, and services to this cause since 2016. A list of all donors can be found at http://www.naturalstoneinstitute.org/RISE. Stone companies interested in getting involved with future projects are encouraged to contact Pam Hammond at pam@naturalstoneinstitute.org.
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