Former Marine chosen for new donated home
Jul 27, 2016, 5:27 AM
(Sharon Mittelman/KTAR)
(Sharon Mittelman/KTAR)
It was a special day for a Phoenix veteran and his family.
Zahid Ali, his wife Stephanie, and five-year-old son Noe’ walked into their brand new fully furnished home in Phoenix, courtesy of “Rebuilding Together- Valley of the Sun” and “Next Gen Home.”
The 28-year-old former Marine returned home with a traumatic brain injury after serving in Afghanistan. He applied for the donated home and was chosen.
Ali said this has been a great experience and humbling, and that he was still in shock.
“Speechless first, to get the house and then on top of that, to have it furnished is just, like, breath-taking,” Ali said.
He is currently working on an Associate’s degree at Phoenix College, aiming for a career in emergency management.
“It’s still in me to help, so emergency management would be the ideal thing for me to help in disasters. It’s a humbling experience to help somebody else out like all these organizations are helping me out,” Ali said.
He said getting the home all expenses paid will allow him to save for his young son’s education.
The modular home was built at the International Builders Show in Las Vegas and then brought to Phoenix, where it was then re-assembled.
