HOPE Makes a House a Home

Giving the Gift of HOPE

At Hope For The Warriors®, our partners and supporters are members of our family. Our Hope Family is what inspires our organization to work tirelessly to meet the needs of service members, veterans, caregivers, and military families—and nothing is more important this time of year than the gifts of family and home.

That’s why we’re offering something special to our supporters through the end of the year.

When you make a donation to Hope For The Warriors® in a friend’s or loved one’s name, they’ll receive a holiday card acknowledging that a gift—one that restores self, family, and hope to military families—was made in their honor.

By giving the gift of HOPE, you’re not only honoring someone special to you, you’re giving the gift of home to service members like USMC Corporal Christian Brown and USMC Sergeant Nick Kimmel.

Homes for the Holidays

Hope For The Warriors® partners with the Gary Sinise Foundation to build homes for wounded service members and their families. We’re proud to make these houses homes for American heroes through Make a House a Home, part of our A Warrior's Wish® Program.

Christian enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 2009. During his second deployment to Afghanistan, he was squad leader for 163 combat missions and endured several firefights before being meritoriously promoted to Corporal.

On December 13, 2011, while leading his squad on a foot patrol in the city of Kajaki, Christian stepped on an IED and sustained multiple traumas, leading to the amputation of his right leg below the hip joint and left leg above the knee.

We’re helping build Christian’s custom Smart Home in Tennessee and expect to complete it in January. Christian says that, “it’s just time to get back to being my own person.” This step toward independence is especially hopeful this time of year.

Nick was offered a baseball scholarship after graduation, but instead joined the Marines in 2008. On December 1, 2011, Nick was building a patrol base just south of the Kajaki Dam. During construction, Nick stepped on an IED and woke up three days later at Walter Reed National Medical Center.

On January 1, 2012, after surgeries every other day for an entire month, Nick flew with his father to Naval Medical Center San Diego for outpatient and physical therapy. Doctors told him it would take thirteen to fifteen months to walk on prosthetics, but he did it in seven. Nick was even able to fly to Japan with his father for his unit’s homecoming.

Nick currently lives in military housing and attends Vincennes University. He’s looking forward to beginning a new chapter in his life thanks to the custom Smart Home we’re helping build him in California.

Gifting HOPE this Season

Want to give meaning to your holiday season, as well as to a loved one or service member like Christian and Nick? You can, by gifting HOPE! To give the gift of HOPE in honor of someone special, visit our Gift of HOPE page.

Donations to support our programs may be made online, by phone at 877-246-7349 or by mail to 5101C Backlick Road, Annandale, VA 22003. Text the word WARRIORS to 20222 to donate. 

Thank you! We wish you peace, joy, love and HOPE during the holidays and throughout the year.

P.S. Did you know you can support Hope For The Warriors® by shopping at smile.amazon.com? You can use your existing account – and there’s no cost to you. Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to Hope For The Warriors® when you select them as your designated charitable organization. Then, start shopping!

A Hero's Honeymoon: Give HOPE for the Holidays

Captain Juan Guerrero, USA (Ret.)  applied for A Warrior’s Wish® with hopes of finally taking his wife on a long over-do honeymoon that never happened while he was on the road to recovery. A few years, a son and a baby later his dreams of a honeymoon turned into a "family-moon" and they explored the magic of Walt Disney World together. 

CPT Guerrero immigrated to the United States as a teenager and joined the United States Marine Corps. He deployed to Iraq in Operation Desert Storm as an automatic rifleman.  Four years later he enlisted in the Army and in 2003, he deployed to Iraq as part of the unit spearheading the initial invasion of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2005, he completed training to be an officer.  His third deployment to Iraq was as a 1^st Lt. EOD Security Escort. As a platoon leader, his Humvee was hit by an IED on July 26, 2007. 

After being medically evacuated to Baghdad for his initial surgeries, CPT Guerrero, USA (Ret.) was transferred to Germany, Walter Reed Naval Hospital, Alaska, and finally to Sam Houston Military Medical Center in San Antonio, TX.  He had spent three years trying to salvage his leg injuries before his physicians were forced to amputate below the knee on his right leg.

Upon his return home to the states as a wounded warrior, he met and shortly after married his wife. Due to the challenges of his medical complications, the two were not able to celebrate their union with a honeymoon. CPT Guerrero, USA (Ret.) remains an active participant in his recovery through physical therapy and mental health treatment for PTSD and anxiety.  Since his amputation, he has had motivation and support from his family and rehabilitation team to participate in new sports and the Paralympic competitions in the San Antonio, TX area. 

The Guerrero family's Warrior’s Wish® was sponsored by Team Chris, a group of loyal supporters whose mission is to honor the life of Cpl Christopher G. Scherer, USMC

To learn more about a A Warrior’s Wish® or to help make A Warrior’s Wish® come true please visit Hope For The Warriors®.

Gifting HOPE this Season

Want to give meaning to your holiday season, as well as a loved one and service member like Juan? You can, by gifting HOPE! To give the gift of HOPE in honor of someone special, visit our Gift of HOPE page.