Brookstone Homes / Homes for Our Troops Present Keys to SSGT Charles Isaacson

January 27, 2009 - Today marked the end of a long journey for SSGT Charles Isaacson and his wife Brenda. Brookstone Homes, along with Homes for Our Troops - a nonprofit organization aimed at providing specially adapted homes to wounded veterans - presented Chuck and Brenda with the keys to their brand new home. The home was built for them completely free of charge by Brookstone Homes on a homesite that was purchased by the Homes for Our Troops organization. The project took nearly six months to complete, but according to Chuck and Brenda, it was well worth the wait.

Staff Sergeant Charles Isaacson was wounded when his helicopter crashed just days from completing his eighth tour in Afghanistan. Although many of his fellow soldiers were killed in the crash, Chuck survived but was left paralyzed from the waist down. Upon returning home to Madison, the challenges stemming from his injury quickly became apparent - particularly in the second story apartment they were renting. Everywhere Chuck looked, the apartment presented challenges: the carpeting was hard to roll his wheelchair over, the microwave was out of reach, the stove was uncomfortably high, and so on. When Brookstone learned of the sacrifices Chuck made for this country and the challenges he now faces, they contacted Homes for Our Troops to work up a plan for building a new home for Chuck and his wife Brenda.

The collaborative effort between Brookstone Homes and Homes for Our Troops resulted in the construction of a specially-adapted home that will certainly eliminate many of the problems Chuck faced while living in that apartment. The house includes many design aspects that address the challenges of being in a wheelchair, such as wider doorways, low threshold entry ways, remote-controlled door openers throughout the house, lower windows, higher electrical outlets, an oversized roll-in shower stall, grab bars, and even an elevator to the basement. Today, Chuck and Brenda received the keys to their home and plan to move in as soon as this weekend.

Brookstone Homes is committed to giving back to the community, but without help of the many volunteers who worked on the house and the support of the members of the community, this project would not have been as successful. We congratulate Chuck and Brenda on their new home and thank Chuck for his services. Although his road to recovery will continue to include challenges, he now has his very own place to call home.