A Safer Way Home for Navy Veteran Denise Champion

Meet Denise Champion, Our Featured Veteran of the Month

This month, Purple Heart Homes is proud to honor Navy Veteran Denise Champion as our Featured Veteran of the Month. Denise gave four years to the United States Navy. Decades later, all she wanted was something most of us never think twice about: to walk in and out of her own front door without fear.

When Home Became the Hazard

For Denise, a widow whose late husband was also a Veteran, that simple freedom had turned dangerous. The front landing of her home in Pfafftown, North Carolina was old and unstable. This past winter, during the snow, it failed her. She slipped, fell, and broke her wrist. The injury did more than break a bone. It put fear into every trip down her own steps.

She Refused to Fear Walking Out of Her Own Front Door

Denise decided she would not let her home become a place she dreaded, so she reached out to Purple Heart Homes. We believe no Veteran who served this country should have to risk injury just to enter their own home, and helping Veterans live safely and independently in their own homes is the work we do every day. 

Building a Safer Home

We brought together two teams of volunteers to get Denise safely home. The crew at Raleigh Wealth Solutions built her ramp offsite, and the volunteers of Team Rubicon installed it on-site, replacing her unsafe landing with a sturdy 10' x 6' front porch and a 27' ramp designed for the way she moves today. When a tree stump stood in the ramp's path, B&G Tree Service stepped in to remove the hazard so the ramp could be set safely and used with confidence.

Home in Time for What Comes Next

The timing mattered more than anyone expected. Denise is scheduled for her second knee replacement surgery next month. When she comes home to recover, she will have a steady porch beneath her and a ramp built for the way she moves, letting her come and go on her own terms, without the fear that put her in a cast last winter.

Help Write the Next Veteran’s Story

Denise’s story is not quite finished, and neither is her home. We are still seeking roughly $1,000 to replace her front door and complete the project. You can be the reason a Veteran like Denise comes home to safety. Give today to help finish Denise’s door, and to help us answer the next veteran who reaches out.

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Thank You to Our Partners

Stories like Denise’s are made possible by people who show up. Our thanks go to the volunteer teams at Raleigh Wealth Solutions and Team Rubicon, to B&G Tree Service for clearing the way, and to corporate partners like Lowe’s, whose year-round grant support helps Purple Heart Homes stand beside Veterans long after the last board is in place.

About Purple Heart Homes

Co-founded by two combat-wounded veterans, Purple Heart Homes has been bringing communities together to provide safe, barrier-free housing solutions for qualified veterans since its founding in 2008. A nonprofit organization based in Statesville, N.C., PHH supports service-connected disabled and senior veterans from all eras across all 50 states and Puerto Rico through a growing network of local chapters. Programs include critical home repairs and renovations to help veterans live independently in their homes, home ownership programs and transitional housing through partnerships with other nonprofit organizations. Learn more at purplehearthomesusa.org.