Corey Stoker is a United States Marine Corps Veteran, serving overseas and all over the country from 2000 to 2004. Now, he is also a new homeowner to a house built by Tri Star Students working with the Lots for Soldiers organization.
Stoker says, “I would never expect anything like this. I served our country for our country, not for something like this. But to know that there are organizations out there that will do stuff like this for veterans, it’s mind-blowing.”
There was an open house on Sunday for the community to come to see the hard work that the students put in and to welcome the Stoker family to the neighborhood. The Tri Star students were also there, showing off and admiring the home they had been working on all year.
“We watched it from day one to finishing day,” says Stoker. “It was really phenomenal. These kids put in some dang great work.”
The students say they were especially proud to be part of building a home for a Veteran family, and usually, the senior build project homes aren’t built with a specific family in mind.
Rachel Hoying, one of the construction students at Tri Star who worked on the house says, “It was really cool finding out that we were going to build a house for lots for soldiers because normally they would build a house and auction it off so this is a really neat experience for all of us.”
Now that the house is officially complete and the keys have been handed over, the Stokers say they are wasting no time to get situated in their new home.
“I’m totally excited to get moved in and I know as soon as everybody leaves, I’m backing in a trailer,” says Stoker. “We’re moving in tonight!”
To learn more about the Tri Star construction program, you can visit tristarcareercompact.com.
Lots for Soldiers does more than just build houses for Veterans, and you can see all that they do here.Â
