Posted on 12/11/2010 6:18:57 AM PST by Pan_Yan
A Rochester home builder is giving a local veteran and his family the gift of a lifetime this Christmas -- a brand new home.
News 10NBC was there when Faber Homes handed over the keys to Sergeant Matt Wido and his family in Henrietta.
Imagine getting the keys to a brand new $185,000 house -- it seems to happen only on TV. But it happened for a young Farmington family and it was an emotional experience for just about everyone there.
Matt Wido, his wife Diane and their two children are the new owners of a brand-new, three-bedroom home in Henrietta. But it has been a long journey here.
Wido is an army veteran who's served two tours of duty in Iraq. The second time he was deployed seven days after the birth of his premature baby boy. It was a tough time for the family. Diane Wido said, “I still can't even talk about it today without getting emotional because it was just tough.”
When Wido came home from his second tour, he had contracted a parasite that even to this day threatens his sight. He also suffered from post traumatic stress disorder. But the troubles didn't end there. Diane suffered a stroke while carrying their second child.
The family was living in a home that had mold growing inside, making them sick. At eight months old, their daughter developed pancreatitis. Faith, family and friend helped them get through.
When the president of Faber Homes heard their story, the Widos were on the brink of bankruptcy. CEO Bernie Iacovangelo said, “It's just wonderful to be able to help a young family like this that has gone through so much and having also my whole team show me the support and respect to say we're with you Bernie. Very emotional day for me.”
And emotional for the Widos. “It's nice to know that these things still happen,” Wido said. “It used to be -- nothing in life is free but these people did everything out of the kindness of their heart. It proves that that statement is false.”
A number of local businesses donated services, time and materials to the Wido's home. Thanks to this gift, Matt Wido, who was working three jobs to make ends meet, was able to scale back to just one job. So while the family is still facing many health concerns, Christmas may be a little merrier for them this year.
There are a lot of veterans who could use a helping hand and their needs are great. If you would like to help a local veteran, you can do so through the Veterans Outreach Center. For more information, please call 585-546-1081.
For more Rochester, N.Y. news go to our website at whec.com.
Kleenex Alert!
this war hero was working 3 jobs to make ends meet and had serious disabilities to boot....
And we have whiners demanding more entitlements...
Great for this family and community.
This is what America should be. Local people helping other local people, not filling out forms with HUD.
How is the goobermint going to control everyone doing it that way?
Stories like this give me hope for our future. There are still kind souls in this country who will reach out to help those in need and seek no reward or recognition for doing so.
I wish we had more stories like this one. I guess it's up to us to make them.
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Farmington soldier to receive new home
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Nice story.
Hits hard on the stereotype of mean-spirited New Yorkers held here
in flyover country.
(I just hope the builder helped the couple with any tax implications
of receipt of this fine gift.)
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