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Butler Brothers Remodels Home of Paralyzed Veteran
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U.S. Army Reservist Jay Briseno, Jr. and Vince Butler, CGR, CAPS, GMB, left, at the celebration marking the completion of the remodeling project for the severely wounded veteran. |
Butler Brothers Corporation, a Northern Virginia builder and remodeler, was honored by the National Housing Endowment — the philanthropic arm of NAHB — for making a home accessible and livable for 22-year-old U.S. Army Reservist Jay Briseno, Jr., who, while stationed in Baghdad, was shot in the neck and paralyzed.
For its efforts, Butler Brothers was awarded the Honorable Mention — Iraq Veterans National Housing Endowment Builder Achievement Award for Outstanding Community Service — which includes a $2,500 donation to be directed to the charity of its choice. The award was presented during the 2007 International Builders’ Show in Orlando, Fla.
Butler Brothers is giving the donation to Rebuilding Together, an organization that brings together volunteers and communities to improves the homes and lives of home owners in need.
“There was no question that we would get involved when we saw the opportunity to work with Jay,” said Vince Butler, CGR, CAPS, GMB, company president and a second-generation builder/remodeler.
Briseno, who is on life support at all times, is one of the most severely injured soldiers to return from Iraq alive, according to military officials. His family could not afford modifications to their three-story home in Manassas, Va. — such as an accessible bathroom and shower — that were necessary for Briseno to continue living there.
“Once we saw the need, it was easy to get everyone motivated,” Butler said. “This opportunity really tugged at us.”
Butler was contacted to assist Briseno through a Rebuilding Together program, “Serving Those Who Serve,” which provides free home modifications to severely injured soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
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The bathroom, which served as a storage area, before the remodel. | Butler was first asked to help design an accessible bathroom, but after walking the home with the Briseno family, he quickly realized that he could do much more for Briseno.
In addition to redoing the bathroom, Butler Brothers rebuilt the HVAC system to minimize dust, added electrical outlets to eliminate the need for extension cords used to power Jay’s life support system, and added lighting above Jay’s bed to make monitoring his condition easier.
Butler also added a supplier-donated generator with an automatic transfer switch. The new generator provides a more reliable and convenient power supply for Briseno’s life support system, which only has a two-hour battery backup system.
Butler Brothers, a small remodeling company that averages 15 to 20 remodeling projects a year, donated between $15,000 and $18,000 in time and materials to the Briseno project. Butler said he and his company worked quickly to minimize inconvenience to Briseno and his family and spoke with the family daily during the project. He said he and the family "developed quite a connection.”
“This experience has affected everyone who worked on the project,” Butler said. “You feel a bigger connection with the sacrifice these young men and women in uniform are making every day.”
“The National Housing Endowment is proud to honor the tremendous charity of Butler Brothers Corporation,” said Gary Garczynski, endowment chairman and 1992 NAHB president. “Dedicated individuals like Jay Briseno sacrifice so much of themselves for our country. The fact that people like Vince Butler and his employees are stepping up to the plate and helping these wounded veterans get back into civilian life as comfortably as possible makes me proud to be a member of this industry.”
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A no-threshold shower was one of the remodeling projects undertaken by Butler Brothers as part of the Rebuilding Together "Serving Those Who Serve" project. |
Twelve Others Honored With Builder Achievement Awards at IBS
 Twelve other builders were honored with gold, silver, bronze and honorable mention Builder Achievement awards during the presentation at the builders’ show.
For the complete list of the winners and a description of their projects, click here.
The awards were established through a grant to the endowment by Isaac Heimbinder, chairman of Potomac, Md.-based BuildTopia, a provider of Web-based construction management software for home builders.
For more information on this award, visit www.nahb.org.
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