Volunteers Help Build Home for Hawkinsville Veteran

HAWKINSVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Shelly Bloom was one of many volunteers who drove in from Atlanta to help put the finishing touches on a home ‘built for a hero’.

The wheelchair accessible, custom made home was designed for United States Marine Corporal Tony Mullis. The Hawkinsville native, who lost both of his legs last April in Afghanistan, is getting the new house for free, thanks to Homes for Our Troops.

On Saturday, dozens of volunteers showed up ready to help finish the landscaping on the home. Since his injury, Mullis, his wife Jeanie and their son have been living with family in a house that’s not wheelchair accessible. Jeanie now looks forward to having a place they can call their own right in their hometown.

“We’ve wanted this for about two years now,” Jeanie said, “it feels amazing to know that we’ll be here with our family and friends, where we grew up at and raise our kid here.”

The family expects to move in at the end of May. For more information on Mullis’ new home and the organization, visit www.homesforourtroops.org.