NWFA & GSF Dedicate SMART Home for Veteran

 

ST. LOUIS, Missouri (January 28, 2016) – The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) and several of its members participated in the Gary Sinise Foundation’s latest smart-home building project completed earlier this month. NWFA CEO Michael Martin attended the home dedication ceremony for Army veteran Chris Sanna in House Springs, Mo today.

Sanna was attending a St. Louis Cardinals baseball game this past summer with his family to celebrate his mother’s birthday. He and his girlfriend left the game early when two men approached them outside the stadium demanding their property. They complied with the robbers, and when Sanna and his girlfriend turned to run, the men shot them twice. Sanna was hit in his liver, lungs, and spine. He is paralyzed from the waist down.

Just after the holiday break, a group of contractors in St. Louis joined forces to install the flooring in Sanna’s home. The contractors, all of whom work for competing companies, volunteered their time to install about 1,400 square feet of wood flooring on the main level of Sanna’s ranch-style home, and about 700 square feet of tile in the basement. The local installation companies, all of whom were recruited by NWFA St. Louis member Lockwood Flooring, included All Wood Floor Company, JD’s Flooring, Jerry’s Fine Floors, Just Around the Corner, and JW Hardwood Floors. The 2¼-inch prefinished solid ash flooring that was installed was donated by Sheoga Hardwood Flooring and delivered by Ambassador Floors. The Sanna project represents the third home for which Sheoga has donated product.

Also participating in the project was an NWFA partner, the National Tile Contractor’s Association. NTCA coordinated tile donations for the home; tile was donated by NTCA member Floridatile. NWFA member MAPEI Corporation donated the setting material for the tile projects, as well as the grout.

The project was coordinated through the NWFA’s partnership with the Gary Sinise Foundation. GSF has several programs that provide wounded veterans and their families with the resources necessary to overcome their new life challenges. In addition to the flooring coordinated through NWFA and NTCA, Sanna’s home was completely renovated to meet his specific mobility issues.

“It’s a privilege to be a part of the Gary Sinise Foundation programs,” says Martin. “It’s important to recognize our veterans and their families for the many sacrifices they make on our behalf, and to give back in ways that can improve their lives.”

Other NWFA member companies that have committed to participate in the program include American OEM, Galleher, Mannington, Maxwell Hardwood Flooring, Mullican Flooring, Rust-Oleum, Somerset Flooring, and WD Flooring.

Martin encourages other NWFA members to get involved in its efforts to provide wood flooring in all GSF veteran homes. “So far, the NWFA has completed or committed to complete 16 homes,” he says. “As more veterans are identified, more member participation will be needed, including donations of product, product delivery, and product installation.”

Photo Caption: (L to R) NWFA VP of Education & Certification Brett Miller, NWFA President & CEO Michael Martin, Lockwood General Manager Brian Wood and volunteer installers from All Wood Floor Company, JD’s Flooring, Jerry’s Fine Floors, Just Around the Corner, and JW Hardwood Floors at Army veteran Chris Sanna’s home.

To learn more about the Gary Sinise Foundation veteran programs, visit www.garysinisefoundation.org/programs. To learn more about where current NWFA projects are located, contact the NWFA at 800.422.4556, or at info@nwfa.org.

The National Wood Flooring Association is a not-for-profit trade organization, with more than 3,000 member companies worldwide, dedicated to educating consumers, architects, designers, specifiers and builders in the uses and benefits of wood flooring. NWFA members receive the best in educational training, benefits, technical resources and networking, to advance their professionalism and success. The NWFA is located at 111 Chesterfield Industrial Boulevard, Chesterfield, MO 63005, and can be contacted at 800.422.4556 (USA & Canada), 636.519.9663 (local and international), or online at www.nwfa.org.