Natural Stone Institute: R.I.S.E. House #35

WILLIS, Texas —The Natural Stone Institute provided natural stone and fabrication services for a specially-adapted home here for U.S. Army SSgt. Jay Fondren (ret) and his family.

The Fondren home is the 35th project involving the institute and the Gary Sinise Foundation through its R.I.S.E. (Restoring Independence Supporting Empowerment) program. Natural stone and fabrication were provided by Walker Zanger, Dee Brown, and Real Stone Veneers of Tennessee.

The Foundation’s R.I.S.E. program builds 100% mortgage-free specially adapted smart homes for severely wounded veterans and first responders.

Fondren, a native of Corsicana, Texas, enlisted in the Army in January 2000 and was initially shipped to Fort Sill, Okla. The service quickly reminded him of the values his family – in particular, his grandfather, a retired U.S. Air Force master sergeant — instilled while he grew up.

On November 24, 2004, while serving in Iraq, Fondren lost both his legs above the knee when a roadside bomb exploded in a Baghdad suburb. He was transported to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.; after spending three weeks in a coma, he woke up to see his wife, sister, mother, and father there to greet him.

Fondren currently works with Houston-based Camp Hope, a residential treatment center for veterans affected by post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD).

The new specially adapted smart home will help Fondren, his wife Anne, and their six children in their daily lives and provide them the chance to embark on a new chapter of their lives.

Companies interested in getting involved with future projects are encouraged to contact Pam Hammond at pam@naturalstoneinstitute.org. To learn more, and to see a list of all Natural Stone Institute members involved with the R.I.S.E. program, visit www.naturalstoneinstitute.org/RISE.

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