LAND O’ LAKES – The Tunnel to Towers Foundation was scheduled July 16 to welcome three injured veterans into new mortgage-free smart homes in the Let Us Do Good Village.
The village will consist of 100 mortgage-free to injured veterans and first responders as well as Gold Star and Fallen First Responder families. The village features an accessible design throughout to help injured veterans and first responders reclaim their independence.
Shawn Mullins
U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant
Shawn Mullins spent 30 years in the Air Force, with multiple overseas deployments.
When America was attacked on 9/11, he helped to load the fighter jets that flew over New York.
During his career, he suffered from multiple back injuries and surgeries and was diagnosed with PTSD. He medically retired from the Air Force in 2015.
In 2019, he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, an autoimmune illness that attacked his nervous system and left him a home-bound quadriplegic relying on an electric wheelchair.
“Tunnel to Towers saved my life, I cannot wait to start a new chapter with my fellow veterans in the village,” Mullins said.
Steven Maxwell
U.S. Army Specialist
Motivated to enlist by the 9/11 attacks, Steven Maxwell joined the Army in March 2002.
He deployed to Iraq, where he suffered multiple brain injuries and concussions. He was left with a traumatic brain injury, PTSD, memory loss and Grand Mal seizures.
He is moving from Oregon to Florida and looking forward to a safer, supportive future in the Let Us Do Good Village.
“I cannot wait for my family to be part of a community where we can support each other and enjoy the sense of safety in the village,” Maxwell said. “I am so grateful for getting this chance.”
Charlie Figueroa
U.S. Army Private First Class
Figueroa grew up in a military family, so it felt natural for him to follow in their footsteps.
After graduating from high school in 1977, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and deployed to Germany, where he trained for combat missions focused on using rockets to counter enemy tanks.
In 2003, he went to the emergency room because he thought he was having a heart attack. While there, he began to lose feeling in his legs. Doctors discovered a hematoma pressing against his spinal cord. Emergency surgery saved his life, but the injury left him permanently wheelchair-bound.
“I’m looking forward to a home where I have more space to move around, feel more comfortable and be in a community that understands everything I have been through,” Figueroa said.
On the web: T2T.org
