They are changing the lives of injured veterans one home at a time -- and they're this week's KRLD DIfference Makers.
In 2008 Kim Vesey got a devastating phone call.
"My brother was an Army Ranger and we got a call that he had been severely injured in an IED blast in Iraq. He ended up losing both of his legs and a portion of his right arm," Vesey said.
Living in New York at the time, Kim says the most challenging thing was finding housing that could accommodate her brother and his disability.
Her brother ended up in the hospital for more than two years and in that time, Vesey connected with Andy Pujol, the founder of Building Homes for Heroes -- a nonprofit that builds and gifts mortgage-free homes and completes home modifications for veterans and their families.
"They helped me completely renovate my parents' home and build an entire apartment in the downstairs portion of the house for my brother to come home to. He was able to come home, go to college and pass his Series 7. He's a financial advisor now," she said. "He's living a full and productive life."
She says it's because of the help they received from Building Homes for Heroes.
Thankful for the help, Vesey began to volunteer for the organization and four years later became vice president and general counsel of Building Homes for Heroes.
This weekend, Building Homes for Heroes is awarding its 300th ADA-compliant home in Northlake to Jonathan Merchant -- a former army specialist who suffered a quadriplegic spinal cord injury in a car accident as he returned from service in Bosnia.
Doctors told him they didn't expect him to be self-sufficient and expected he would have a limited life. Proving them wrong, Merchant became the first quadriplegic to finish the half ironman distance in a race sponsored by Challenged Athletes Foundation and he still regularly takes part in similar races.
Merchant and his wife, Stephanie, will receive the four-bedroom, three-bathroom home modified to ADA specifications in the Pecan Square Development in partnership with Hillwood and Highland Homes.
To donate, volunteer or learn more visit Building Homes for Heroes.
If you know someone making a difference in the community send us an email at differencemaker@krld.com.
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