Home Depot
gets disabled vet's house back on track
Source: Rocky Mountain News:
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jul/08/home-depot-gets-house-for-veteran-back-on/
For Tracy Keil, wife of
disabled Army vet Matt Keil, hanging out at
a hardware store isn't exactly her idea of a
good time. But at the Home Depot
on Monday in Parker, circumstances were a
bit different. "This is probably the most
fun I've ever had at Home Depot," she said,
wearing a hat with the chain store's logo.
On Friday - the Fourth of
July - thieves made off with a variety of
tools belonging to volunteers from the
nonprofit Homes for Our Troops, which is
building a home free of charge for the
couple.
Now, thanks to the $2,000 of
tools donated by the Parker Home Depot on
Monday, construction will continue,
virtually uninterrupted. The Keils
went to Home Depot the day after the
burglary to find a part for Matt's
wheelchair. Store manager Glenn Richardson
recognized them from the news and approached
the couple. He immediately offered to
replace the stolen tools. "It's the
least we could do," Richardson told the
couple.
In September, Homes for Our
Troops announced it would team with Pulte
Homes to build a house for the Keils.
Matt Keil, 26, served in the Army for seven
years before a sniper bullet hit the right
side of his neck on Feb. 24, 2007, in Ramadi,
Iraq. The injury paralyzed his limbs.
After months of therapy, he regained control
of his left arm and can now speak clearly
and eat whatever he wants. He
had a few words for the thieves. "I want to
know why they did it. They had to see the
sign," he said, referring to the Homes for
Our Troops sign outside his future home.
Bret Hribar, a private
contractor working on the Keils' house for
Pulte Homes, lost thousands of dollars of
his own equipment in the burglary.
"Thank God Home Depot
stepped up and did this, or else I don't
know where I'd be," the 36- year-old said.
Chris Townsley, Tracy Keil's sister,
expressed shock at the robbery and thanks
for Home Depot's generosity. "It's crazy
taking tools from volunteers on the Fourth
of July," Townsley said.
"To have Home Depot step up
to the plate really shows community support
for Matt," she said. "He gave a lot for us
to be here. He gave a lot more than any of
us."
Tracy Keil repeatedly
expressed gratitude for the community's
generosity.
"This was really cool. I'm
kind of speechless that they were willing to
step up and do this," she said of the
volunteers. "They're building our future."
