Whether young in years or young at heart, REALTOR® members of the Illinois Young Professionals Network (YPN) are seldom late to a party. But as leaders in their communities, they know what matters – and that’s helping their community and getting people into homes. It’s this notion that spurred Illinois YPN to plan a July 4th Non-Event to benefit Homes for Our Troops, whose mission is to build specially adapted homes for service members who have been severely injured in combat operations since September 11, 2001.

The American Dream is home ownership. The military has given us an American Dream of freedom. It’s time that we help them,” says REALTOR® Christopher Mitchell, 2013 Illinois YPN Chair.

Mitchell’s place of business is O’Fallon, Ill. just outside of Scott Air Force base in Southern Illinois. “In the community I’m at you can’t go anywhere without running into someone in the military,” said Mitchell. “We hear their stories and see what they do and see their families when they’re gone away fighting for our freedom.”

A donation to Homes for Our Troops via the Illinois YPN web portal also RSVPs you to the July 4th Non-Event.

The average cost to build a home specially adapted to the needs of a severely injured veteran is about $300,000, depending on the location (not including the cost of the land). The ADA-compliant homes may even include more specialized features like lift systems and voice activation controls. But thanks to donors and volunteers, Homes for Our Troops is able to build the homes at no cost to the veteran.

To learn more about Illinois YPN’s Non-Event contact Kara Kienzler or Kim Buscher.

Homes for Our Troops is a national non-profit organization based in Taunton, MA.

The Illinois Young Professionals Network (YPN) of the Illinois Association of REALTORS® provides education and support to younger REALTORS® to share ideas and gain referrals to expand their business potential.