Building a Home for an LI Hero

Along with the local community, Green Art staff and other sponsors, contributors, and organizations gathered for a ceremony to welcome United States Marine Corps Lance Corporal William (Billy) Ventura into his newly renovated home in Selden, NY on Wednesday, November 16th. Back in early 2016, Building Homes for Heroes enlisted the help of Green Art to transform the Ventura’s home into an accessible space for Billy, who was involved in a horrific hit-and-run motorcycle accident on Long Island in 2013 which left him paralyzed below his waist. Just two years prior, Billy’s older brother, USMC Corporal Jerome Ventura, passed away while on base in California. The family has been immersed in so many organizations that support our servicemen and women. Needless to say, we were honored to get involved.

Green Art designed an accessible bathroom vanity for the Lance Corporal, but we didn’t stop there. The kitchenette, designed by our certified kitchen designer Helen Murray, is also tailored to Billy’s needs. It includes a pull-down shelving system in the top cabinet, a handicap-accessible Elkay kitchen sink, and Delta Brizo pull-down Venuto faucet. The plumbing fixtures donated by Green Art are all ADA compliant, including the Icera Karo toilet and Delta shower grab bars. Billy liked the look of Oil-Rubbed Bronze, so all the fixtures and accessories in the bathroom match that style. The kitchenette cabinetry is KitchenCraft Thunder with a Black Glaze and Richelieu hardware.

The founder of Building Homes for Heroes, Andrew Pujol, said they are gifting 10 homes around the country in the months of November and December, just in time for the holidays. By the end of 2016, they will have gifted 100 homes to American veterans since their foundation ten years ago. “This is a simple act of patriotism and love,” said Pujol.

Green Art first worked with Building Homes for Heroes in 2015 on a home in Merrick, NY built from the ground-up for an injured Marine Corps Corporal. We look forward to working with them on more projects in the future.

Founded in 2006, Long Island-based Building Homes for Heroes gifts mortgage-free homes that meet the needs of the men and women who have selflessly served our country. These homes not only help to remove the family’s financial burden, they help to restore the individual’s freedom, and enable the veteran to lead a more independent and productive civilian life. Learn more at BuildingHomesForHeroes.org.

Click here to learn more about the remarkable Ventura family.