We celebrate members of the military community and contribute to initiatives that give back to those who served our country. Earlier this month, Amazon’s Ring announced a new collaboration with Homes For Our Troops (HFOT) to support our nation’s heroes.
HFOT makes a difference every day by building and donating specially adapted custom homes to severely injured post-9/11 veterans. Since 2004, HFOT has built and donated over 345 specially adapted custom homes to veterans across the U.S.
To advance HFOT’s mission, Ring is making a monetary contribution and donating 1,000 home security devices, including Ring Video Doorbells, Pathlights, and Alarm Systems. These items will complement the over 40 adaptations typically found in HFOT homes designed to increase accessibility.
Expressing his excitement about the initiative, HFOT President and CEO, Brig. Gen. Tom Landwermeyer said, “The new devices will provide an extra layer of security to our homes. We are grateful Ring has made our veterans’ safety their priority.”
As a 29-year Air Force veteran and director of Inclusive Communities at Amazon, John Quintas said he believes this collaboration is one of the many ways Amazon will continue to invest in veterans and their families. He said he is constantly “looking for ways to drive positive, lasting change for veterans as they transition back to civilian life.”
Celebrating Amazon’s own veterans
Part of driving change means having conversations and building connections around how we can work together to best support the veteran community. HFOT and Ring hosted a virtual event with Ring and Amazon employees to discuss the importance of collaborations like this one.
HFOT Director of Development Chris Mitchell and HFOT veteran home recipient Army Staff Sgt. Randall Clay Young joined Quintas for the event. During the event, held on the 247th birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps, Mitchell shared more about the adaptations that veterans can receive for their homes. He said, “Every aspect of the house is fully accessible—even outside, there is a 360-degree walkway around the whole property. Some of the adaptations include wider doorways, roll-under sinks, roll-under countertops to cook if you're in a wheelchair. Every aspect of the home is customized.”
Army Staff Sgt. Randall Clay YoungQuintas and Mitchell discussed the importance of corporate and nonprofit collaborations, and Young shared more about how his Ring doorbell helped increase his peace of mind when he’s away from his home. Young said, “I can check on my house anytime I want to and see what's going on. That bit of stress relief allowed me to maintain control of my safe space and allowed me to be out and about at the same time. And for a lot of soldiers who come back and are hypersensitive and experience high levels of anxiety, that's actually relieving some of that anxiety.”
Young shared more about the first time a guest rang his Ring doorbell and when he realized it could help support his accessibility needs. He said, “I don't move very quickly, and my phone was right with me. I picked it up, and I could talk to him from where I was in the house and tell him, ‘Hold on a minute. It's going take me about two minutes to get to you.’ And then I realized that it’s really helpful for someone with mobility issues to not have to rush to try and answer the door.”
Young talked about what it meant to him that HFOT awarded him a home. He said, “Homes for Our Troops doesn’t give you a house so you can live in it. Homes For Our Troops builds you a home so you can get out of it and do things again.” Ring and Amazon look forward to continuing the conversation with HFOT members as we learn more about the work they do for veterans across the country and in turn, how we can bring added comfort and support to the veterans who have done so much for us.
Learn more about HFOT and their work to help build homes for veterans and find out how to get involved.
