February 28, 2014 [WEWS]
SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – Purple Heart homes will hold a Mission Complete Ceremony to welcome U.S. Army veteran Demond Taylor and his wife Amber to their new renovated home on Avondale Road in South Euclid on March 1 at St. John’s Church gymnasium.
South Euclid’s Mayor Georgene Welo will serve as Mistress of Ceremonies and the keynote speaker will be Major General Charles Swannack, Jr.(retired).
Purple Heart Homes purchased the vacant home on Avondale Road from the Cuyahoga County Land Bank for $1 and completely gutted it. They constructed a new addition, a garage and completely renovated the home. Volunteer union labor from all local building trades worked on weekends and evenings along with city councilman, neighbors and the Geauga County Habitat for Humanity to complete the home. Petitti’s Garden Center provided plants for the landscaping. Purple Heart Homes contributed approximately $50,000 for the renovations,
Taylor and his wife Amber will be paying a mortgage of 50 percent of the current home market value. At the end of 15 years Taylor will own the home free and clear.
Demond Taylor is a graduate of Heidelberg College where he majored in history. His dream was to make the military his career. Taylor was 27 when he deployed to Iraq. He was involved in several explosions that resulted in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress (PTS). He currently works for the VA and is going on for his masters degree.
The home in South Euclid for Taylor is the first Purple Heart Homes project in Ohio. At the March 1 ceremony, the community will be introduced to USMC Leo Robinson, who will receive the second South Euclid Home also purchased from the Cuyahoga County Land Bank for $1. Renovations on that home will begin in the spring.