Causecast

More than 50 community volunteers worked with Rebuilding Together Greater Green Bay to help renovate the home of recently retired Army Sergeant, Mark M. Meunier. Mark was injured by a double IED explosion while on duty in Iraq and now suffers from significant mobility issues. Rebuilding Together Greater Green Bay provided home repairs and improvements that focused on accessibility.

The double IED explosion left Mark with injuries to his knee, ankle, shoulder, and wrist. He suffers from a traumatic brain injury (TBI), extreme rheumatoid arthritis, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and a lower back injury. As a result of his injuries, Mark suffers intense back pain and is prevented from performing many simple tasks. He can only walk for short distances and is not expected to run again.

Mark spent the last few months of his service at the local armory in Green Bay, Wisconsin, working with reservists, while receiving ongoing treatment for his injuries. Mark served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Somalia, and the Persian Gulf War.

Mark and his wife, Dawn, live in a home near downtown Green Bay that was built in 1917 and has significant repair needs. It was purchased prior to Mark’s last deployment with the intent that he would complete the repair work himself. Mark is now unable to complete the repair work and needs additional modifications to make it more accessible for him. The current state of the home results in high heating bills and requires Mark to walk up a slow and painful 40 stairs to access the nearest bathroom on the second floor. “It’s amazing,” said Meunier, 36. “I don’t even know what to say.”

Rebuilding Together made significant repairs and modifications at the Meunier home including replacing the roof, installing a wheelchair ramp, replacing windows, building a new accessible bathroom on the first floor, repairing electrical wiring, installing a new water heater and furnace, installing a new front door, replacing flooring, and painting. “It’s overwhelming, unbelievable,” Dawn Meunier said. “It’s all way more than we could ever have hoped for.”