BRISTOL, Va. Brandon and Chandra Horne had a full to-do list Tuesday.
They had to enroll their four children in the city schools, continue packing and planning their upcoming move from Kingsport and look inside their new home on Crossway Road in Bristol, Virginia, for the first time.
The 1,700-square-foot house on a quiet residential street was donated rent-free because of Brandon Hornes lengthy military service through a national program called Operation Homefront and Wells Fargo bank.
This is an amazing feeling. We feel very blessed to be chosen, Horne said after walking through all three levels. Thanks to Wells Fargo and Operation Homefront, this is a dream come true to us.
A staff sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserves, Horne has served since 1998, including three years of active duty and tours of Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan training law enforcement in those countries. The family has rented for several years, but applied last year to Operation Homefront a national nonprofit organization based in Texas.
Operation Homefront has received donated homes from Wells Fargo and other national leaders to provide permanent homes for military families and veterans of any era, said program housing caseworker Lauren Short. In 2014, we gave a total of 130 homes away. This house is the seventh in Virginia with Wells Fargos partnership and we are thrilled to match the Horne family with the Bristol home. The Hornes are wonderful ambassadors for what the Homes on the Homefront program is all about.
The home has undergone a makeover with a new kitchen, appliances and other improvements.
We donate the home to Operation Homefront and they find the veteran and the circumstance around the veteran. We take seriously our commitment to help our military veterans reach their financial goals and what we can to help them, said Wells Fargo spokeswoman Tommye Arnold.
The donation is part of the companys commitment to the military, said Rhenda Dye, branch manager.
This donation is part of a long-standing commitment to give to our veterans and help revitalize our communities, Dye said. This is part of a $35 million commitment in property donations to veterans made by Wells Fargo since 2012. Since January 2013, Wells Fargo has donated about 200 properties to veterans across the United States and were very proud of that.
This was the first such donation in the city, but may not be the last in this region, Arnold said.
I told Operation Homefront last year we would like to have more in Southwest Virginia so hopefully we will, Arnold said.
