NWFA and Members Participate in RISE Program’s Smart

The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) and several of its members participated in the Gary Sinise Foundation RISE program’s latest smart-home building project.

Jeff Fairbanks, NWFA's chairman, and Barbara Titus, Sheoga Hardwood Flooring & Paneling's vice president, attended the home dedication ceremony for Marine Staff Sergeant Jason Ross in Livermore, Calif.

SSgt Ross survived, but lost both legs and part of one of his pelvic bones, after stepping on an improvised explosive device while serving his second tour in Afghanistan in 2011. He endured more than 200 surgeries conducted during three years largely lived in hospitals. Now, with this new smart home, SSgt Ross and his wife have the environment and technology he needs to fully share in raising their two daughters.

“It’s an honor for NWFA to be a partner with the Gary Sinise Foundation, and to give back something of lasting value to Staff Sergeant Ross, who has given so much on our behalf,” said Fairbanks. “To see how these smart homes make a difference, to see how they empower a family to enjoy a full life together unhindered by limitations to the mobility and self-sufficiency of a veteran like Jason, is truly amazing.”

John Cunningham, of West Coast Flooring in Temecula, Calif., is the NWFA member contractor who installed the wood flooring.

For more information, visit nwfa.org.