A family in Vero Beach is living the American dream thanks to an organization that helps wounded veterans and their families.
Wednesday afternoon, Army Corporal Andres Rosa and his 12-year-old daughter Luiza were presented with a three bedroom home mortgage-free. There's even a pool.
“I almost started crying,” said Rosa. “Family is out there, friends are out there, it hit pretty deep.”
“I was just super surprised and like all these people were here," Luiza added.
She got to see her bedroom.
“I didn't know that there would be furniture and I was so happy about my room,” said Luiza. “Like my room is really pretty.”
Rosa saw his master suite, “I didn't even notice there was couches when I walked in,” he said. “That's how excited I was.”
The organization Building Homes for Heroes made it possible for the Rosas.
“You have to be about 80 percent service disabled through the VA, you have to have served post 9-11 and you cannot currently own a home,” explained Kim Valdyke, the southeast construction operations manager for Building Homes for Heroes.
The family has never owned a home before, “I'm going back to school,” said Rosa. “That's what this home is going to let me do.”
Their family even drove down from Jacksonville to watch the fanfare and are thankful or the Rosas' new home.
“It's really nice,” said Luiza. “I really like the experience. It was really surprising because it just doesn't happen.”
Luiza said she’s most excited to walk around her new neighborhood and meet new people. Her father said he plans to go back to school to study health care.
To date, Building Homes for Heroes has given away 110 homes.
