Tunnel To Towers Welcomes USMC Veteran Into His Renovated Mortgage-Free ‘Smart Home’

USMCTunnel to Towers3/13rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment

Dec 29

INDEPENDENCE TOWNSHIP, NJ (Warren County) – On Christmas Eve, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation gave an injured veteran the gift of financial and physical independence.

*(Photo Credit | Tunnel to Towers Foundation)*

In a private ceremony, Tunnel to Towers welcomed USMC Corporal Colin Pascik into his newly renovated Independence Township home and announced the mortgage has been paid in full.

“Receiving the home for Christmas was pretty wild, this is the best Christmas present I am going to get in a long long time,” Corporal Pascik said.

The community came together to welcome Corporal Pascik into his home. The event featured Rolling Thunder and Patriot Guard Riders, two local Elks clubs, and American Legion Post 164 provided the Color Guard.

Corporal Pascik enlisted in the United States Marine Corps out of high school and deployed to Afghanistan with the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment out of Camp Pendleton.

On August 22, 2010, he was on patrol when a pressure plate IED detonated. He lost both legs and severely injured his left arm in the blast.

In the years since his injury, he has learned to walk on prosthetics and built on his passion for playing guitar by going back to school to become a guitar technician.

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation renovated Corporal Pascik’s home into a smart home to make it easier for him to live independently:

Added an accessible master bathroom with ADA compliant tub and shower
Added a second wider door to the master bedroom to make it easier for him to get in and out of his room
Renovated the entire kitchen including new smart appliances, pull down cabinet shelving, and a stove that raises and lowers to wheelchair height
Updated the whole home HVAC system
Installed a new whole house generator
New flooring to make it easier to get around in a wheelchair or prosthetics
Painted the entire house

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation’s Smart Home Program builds and renovates homes to help our most catastrophically injured veterans to reclaim their day-to-day independence. For Corporal Pascik Tunnel to Towers’ work is a tribute to his service and sacrifice.

“As a Veteran, it’s nice to see that people care about us, that we are not forgotten. Seeing them do all this, I just think they are heroic in a way because they are choosing to put their time and effort into making our lives better,” said Corporal Pascik.

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation’s Smart Home Program builds and renovates homes to help our most catastrophically injured veterans to reclaim their day-to-day independence.

“This Christmas we are so honored to be here to support Corporal Pasick by ensuring that he can celebrate this Christmas and every Christmas in a home that makes it easier for him to do the everyday things we take for granted. Paying off the mortgage means he can start 2022 without the financial burden of a mortgage, so he can live more financially independent as well,” said Frank Siller Chairman and CEO of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.

Corporal Pascik’s dedication is part of the third annual Tunnel to Towers Season of Hope where the Foundation will deliver 65 mortgage-free homes between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve.

So far this year Tunnel to Towers has delivered 135 mortgage-free homes across the country. The 65 homes in Season of Hope will bring the total to 200 homes for the year.

For more information on Tunnel to Towers’ mission to support America’s veterans, fallen first responders, and Gold Star families, visit T2T.org and consider donating just $11 per month.