The national nonprofit organization, Homes For Our Troops (HFOT) will donate a home to Marine Corporal Zac Dinsmore on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. Dinsmore was severely injured while serving in Afghanistan. The event will be held at 15267 Ypsilon Circle in Mead at 10 a.m. (check-in at 9:30 a.m.). The public is welcome to attend and tour the home after the ceremony.
In 2011, Dinsmore deployed on his second combat tour with the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines. While serving as a team leader on this deployment, he was instrumental in saving HFOT home recipient Sergeant Milan Franklin’s life. Two weeks later, on Oct. 31, 2011, Dinsmore stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED) in Sangin, Afghanistan. The IED partially exploded since it was wet from the rain, but it was enough to shatter his leg from the knee down. In 2014, after years of enduring numerous surgeries and rigorous therapies to salvage his leg, he made the decision to have doctors amputate the limb. Today, Dinsmore still copes with skin issues from wearing prosthetics, but his overall pain level has decreased and he has more mobility.
Receiving a single-level, specially adapted, custom HFOT home will enable Dinsmore to raise his son without barriers. Dinsmore loves welding, blacksmithing and building things in his garage. The financial freedom of the home will empower him to finish his associate’s degree in welding and pursue a career in the field.
Dinsmore’s new home features more than 40 major special adaptations such as widened doorways for wheelchair access, a roll-in shower and kitchen amenities that include pull-down shelving and lowered countertops. The home will also alleviate the mobility and safety issues associated with a traditional home, including navigating a wheelchair through narrow hallways or over thresholds, riding on carpets or reaching for cabinets that are too high. HFOT will donate the home to Dinsmore, thanks to contributions from donors, supporters and corporate partners.
Dinsmore wants HFOT’s donors to know they are changing lives. He says it felt almost impossible to find a wheelchair-accessible home on his own. “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to receive this gift. It will make it easier for me to care for my son,” he says.
