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Serving America's wounded warriors

Organization building home for Merrick war hero

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Marine Cpl. Kevin Vaughan came home from the war in Afghanistan in March 2012 after losing his left leg to a roadside bomb. Raised in Merrick, the Mepham High School graduate was given a hero’s homecoming by his community: a parade that stretched up Jerusalem Avenue and led to his childhood home.

Now, two years later, the appreciation for Vaughan’s service has not dwindled. The Melville Lions Club and one of its members, contractor Richard Hoffman, of Hoffco Home Improvement, have joined forces to build a home for Vaughan on Little Whaleneck Road in Merrick. The project is part of a larger cause, Building Homes for Heroes.

A formal announcement about the project was made recently at Advance Auto Parts in Glen Cove, the top donor to Building Homes for Heroes.

Founded in 2006, Building Homes for Heroes began as a grass-roots organization. According to Andrew McClure, its chief operating officer, the group originally intended to build one home per year. With greater publicity, especially on Fox News, the organization took off. This year the group plans to construct 25 to 30 homes across the country.

Building Homes for Heroes has purchased the plot of land where Vaughan’s house will be built. The organization generates funds from donors in all 50 states and abroad, and searches for licensed tradesmen who are willing to volunteer their time, although the group makes sure that it has sufficient funds to complete any project it starts.
The Phelan Foundation has been the top donor to the Merrick project.

“If a builder, electrician, plumber or roofer donates his time and materials, that’s just as good as cash to us,” said McClure. “It makes a significant impact on reaching our goals.”

The volunteers are mostly from the Melville Lions Club. Hoffman also said that a local plumber and electrician have volunteered as well.

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