PHOTO: Steven Schulz at the West Ranch Helping a Hero event is surrounded by his family, father Steven, brother Clay, sister Elaine, and mother Debbie, along with the Honorable S. Ward Casscells, M.D Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, and State Senator Mike Jackson.

One local hero is now the proud owner of a brand new home in West Ranch, thanks to the Helping a Hero program, Friendswood Development Company and Perry Homes. On November 14, Corporal Steven Schulz, U.S.M.C. and his family were presented with the keys to his new home during a special event that included a number of special guests and a variety of local media.

Schulz, who suffered a severe traumatic brain injury fighting the war in Iraq, has received numerous honors for his bravery and accomplishments including a Purple Heart, a Combat Action Ribbon, a Marine Corp. Good Conduct Medal, and a National Defense Service Medal. A graduate of Friendswood High School, Schulz, whose mother Debbie was also a teacher at Friendswood High School, wanted to remain living in Friendswood but needed a home to fit his needs.

The home site, donated by Friendswood Development Company in the master-planned community of West Ranch in the city of Friendswood and Perry Homes, which continues to build homes for returning war heroes, worked together with Meredith Iler and the Helping a Hero program to build a beautiful, spacious one-story home that easily accommodates the needs of Steven with features such as wider doorways, lowered kitchen counters and appliances, tile floors making it easy to move around in his wheelchair and a roll-in shower in the master bath, to name just a few.

Among the many special guests in attendance were Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs - The Honor able S. Ward Casscells, M.D., Congressman Ron Paul and State Senator Mike Jackson as well as members of the Honor Guard, a number of veterans and a number of military servicemen. Also at the event were Corporal Schulz’s family – his mother Debbie, his father Steven, his brother Clay and sister Elaine who was among the guest speakers.

For more information on the Helping a Hero Wounded Hero Home Program, visit the website at www.helpingahero.org.

JUNE 9, 2008 - GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY HONORS START OF NEW HOME THROUGH HELPING A HERO.ORG FOR A LOCAL FRIENDSWOOD MARINE, CORPORAL STEVEN SCHULZ

PHOTO: Peter Easterly (Division President, Perry Homes), John Hammond (President, Friendswood Development Company), Steve and Debbie Schulz, Cpl Steven Schulz, USMC, Secretary Robert Mosbacher (in whose honor this home is being built), Meredith Iler (Chairman, Helping a Hero.org's Wounded Hero Home Program), State Rep. Larry Taylor, Mayor David Smith (Mayor of Friendswood). photo by Carson George.

For one special Friendswood family, sacrifice is something that is a part of their lives every day. After 9/11, Steven Schulz, the oldest of three children of Debbie and Steven Schulz of Friendswood, entered the Marine Corps. because he wanted to make a difference. While he was completing his second tour of duty in Iraq on April 19, 2005, he was hit by an IED which left him with a severe traumatic brain injury. His parents immediately rushed to his side and his mother Debbie quit her job as a teacher so that she could stay by her son night and day.

Steven’s sacrifice was followed by his family’s strong commitment to each other and his parents’ own sacrifices of finances with the elimination of Debbie’s income and precious time with their other two children – one who was in high school and the other finishing the second semester of her first year of college.

After countless hours of rehabilitation, support and encouragement from family, the surrounding Friendswood community and the nation, Steven Schulz has overcome major obstacles. And although he has made remarkable progress in his recovery, he will continue to need the assistance of a wheelchair, the help of his family and a home design to accommodate his most basic needs.

On Monday, June 9, a ground breaking ceremony in the community of West Ranch in the city of Friendswood will honor Corporal Steven Schulz and celebrate the start of a new home and a new start for the Schulz family. Thanks to the Helping a Hero Wounded Hero Home Program, the Houston Rotary District 5890,  Friendswood Development Company and Perry Homes, the construction of a beautiful new home to be built for this returning hero and his parents, will begin and will soon be the new home to the Schulz family.

Schulz’ mother Debbie taught at Friendswood High School, from which Steven, his brother Clay and sister Elaine all graduated. The family now lives in a two-story home that, although is loved by Debbie, is not at all designed or equipped to accommodate her son’s needs resulting from his injuries in Iraq.

“We have a two-story home and when Steven first came home, we had to turn our master bedroom into his area because it was downstairs and his bedroom was upstairs,” Debbie said. “And even then, he could not get his wheelchair through the door of the bathroom or go in there without help.”

Through a support group that Debbie says includes friends that extend throughout the country, the Veterans Administration and her church pastor, she heard of the Helping a Hero program. The acceptance of Steven’s application for a home in the program was a part of a strong community of support that Debbie said was overwhelming to her and her family. “When Steven was first injured, I spent a lot of time in Bethesda with him. At home, friends, neighbors and the community were a great support to our entire family.”

The strong support the Schulz family felt from its surrounding Friendswood community reinforced its commitment to stay there. Friendswood Development Company’s donation of the home site in its new master-planned West Ranch community, located in the city of Friendswood and the Friendswood Independent School District, and Perry Homes’ commitment to build a new home there made the program even more rewarding for the family who will soon have a new home that meets the needs of their son, while enabling them to stay in a City they love.

“We are honored to be a part of such an outstanding program and work with this outstanding family,” said John Hammond, President of Friendswood Development Company. “It’s heroes like Steven who ensure the freedom we enjoy and remind us all that freedom is not free, and comes with a high price.”

The new one-story home by Perry Homes will be designed to make every day tasks more accommodating for Steven, with features such as widened doorways and tile floors, making it easier to move around in a wheelchair; a large roll in shower, raised toilet and grab bars in the bathroom, and lowered kitchen countertops and appliances that will enable him to use the kitchen effectively.

Debbie Schulz says that as her son continues to recover and look forward to working with the Veterans Administration to find a part-time job, his brain injury has made complete independence impossible. “There are things that seem minor that pose great safety issues,” Debbie said. “As a result of Steven’s brain injury, his short term memory has been affected and he forgets things like turning off the water or stove – things that could be very dangerous,” she said, and adds that it is important for him in this and in many other capacities to have his family living around him.

The fact that the Helping a Hero program is building a home for a returning veteran and his parents is also heart warming to Debbie. “People realize that if a veteran is not married, he is relying on other family members for support,” she said.

Meredith Iler, National Chairman of the Helping a Hero Wounded Hero Home Program said, “I am so proud of Steven Schulz for his bravery in combat and his courage in the rehabilitation process.  He is a leader and an encourager to other wounded heroes who have just begun their journey of recovery.  We are honored to have this opportunity to build a home for this deserving American hero and say thank you in a tangible way for his valiant service to our great nation.  And we are equally proud of his parents who have been there every step of the way to comfort him, change his bandages, encourage him to reach for new heights in his rehabilitation and who are willing to share this remarkable young man with all of us.”

The new home is planned for completion this September for the young man who was an honor graduate of the School of Infantry and who is recognized as a true hero, with a list of honors that include a Purple Heart, a Combat Action Ribbon, a Marine Corp. Good Conduct Medal, and a National Defense Service Medal.

For more information on the Helping a Hero Wounded Hero Home Program, visit the website at www.helpingahero.org.