Square Foot Ministry is leading a team of volunteers to build an accessible home addition for Thomas McEnhill and his family at their home in Sharpsburg.
Thomas served 13 years as an E5 Helicopter Mechanic in the United States Marine Corp and an additional 10 years in the National Guard. During his time in the USMC he completed two tours of duty in Beirut and spent time in over 20 countries around the world. He also had an opportunity to play a role as a Career Planner to mentor and coach younger fellow Marines during their discharge process and offer guidance for their future career path.
As an avid life-long athlete, Tom could frequently be spotted taking one of his regular power bike rides in the Sharpsburg, Ga., area where he lives. This past summer his life changed forever when a freak bike accident left him paralyzed from the shoulders down. Tom, his wife of 34 years, Julie, and their extended family were faced with challenges they never could have imaged. After rehab at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Tom was discharged several weeks ago.
Being a Marine family, they set to work on figuring out the new normal and how to adapt. Tom’s daughter Ashley, mobilized a group to set a plan in place to add an accessible addition to the home that Tom and Julie have lived in for 23 years. Ashley’s team is partnering with Square Foot Ministry and their volunteer network to build the accessible home addition in January 2021 to include a bedroom, bathroom and sitting area. Ashley states that she’s overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for her family and has seen God’s hand at work throughout this difficult time.
The home addition work, which began on January 9, will be built primarily with volunteers but will cost approximately $55,000 in materials and sub-contracting specialists. The total raised currently stands at $43,000. If you’d like to contribute please visit the Square Foot Ministry website at squarefootministry.org/donate and designate your donation to the Ashley Fehr project. Donations can be made with check, credit card and through PayPal.
Square Foot Ministry is a faith-based non-profit organization founded in Fayette county 18 years ago with a mission “To share God’s hope and love by providing safe, healthy, affordable homes and environments for families and those who serve them.” They build homes for low-income working families, do minor home repairs for elderly and/or disabled citizens and also partner with other non-profits to help them build or expand their facilities.
Doug Higgins, co-founder of Square Foot Ministry states that “we’re excited to partner with our volunteers and donors to build this home addition for a military veteran and family. These are the types of projects that really allow us to mobilize the community and put our faith into action.”
