On January 14^th at 1pm, Step Up For Soldiers hosted the official ribbon cutting of The Edward Kramer House on 6060 Shiloh Drive, Wilmington, NC 28409. The ceremony was accompanied by the many volunteers and individuals who made this day possible. Last month, Step Up selected Jackson and Laura Ertel as the first family to live in the Kramer House. Jackson received an honorable discharge from the US Marines at the beginning of the summer and began his first semester at UNCW in the fall. Jackson and Laura welcomed the birth of their first born son, Liam. The Ertels will be living in the house until Jackson completes his degree. We encourage anyone to attend this dedication to help show support for our US Military and Veterans nationwide but to also express how our Cape Fear Community proudly stands behind our local Freedom Fighters and their families as well.
 
 
The vision of Project “Soldier Build” began with Step Up For Soldier’s founder, Thomas Russell, after he led the organization for many years in assisting veterans who suffered from loss of limb and mobility by building ramps and modifying houses to aid in the adaptation of injury and illness. Mr. Russell decided to expand his “Pay It Forward” dream in building a house for a veteran family with children who wanted to pursue their education full time. At the end of the family’s stay, half of their reduced-rate rent will be returned to them as an incentive to stay married and stay educated so they may buy or build a forever home of their choice. Without the dedication and commitment of Thomas Russell and the many volunteers and community supporters who worked on this project, this would not have been possible. Step Up For Soldiers would like to thank everyone for their hard work and determination to fulfill this vision. Thank you for showing your support as we welcomed The Ertel Family into the Kramer House.

Thank you, Thomas Russell
Step Up For Soldiers Founder

Matthew Halbert
Step Up For Soldiers President
Megan Hixson
Step Up For Soldiers VP

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