Oregon dealer donates mower to local hero
On Oct. 25, Stark Street Lawn and Garden, a six-location Oregon dealership headquartered in Portland, delivered a Cub Cadet RZT zero-turn riding mower to Sergeant Joshua Sweeney, a marine veteran severely injured during his service in Afghanistan. In addition, Sweeney is receiving a specially adapted, mortgage-free home near Hillsboro, Ore., through the non-profit Homes for Our Troops (HFOT) organization.
While serving in Afghanistan in October 2009, Sweeney was injured by an improvised explosive device. His legs had to be amputated above the knee, and he suffered some damage to his arm as well. Sweeney is a purple heart recipient, as well as a gold-medal sled hockey player for the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team.
HFOT is a nationwide organization that provides homes for the most severely injured veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Most of these veterans are multiple amputees, paraplegic, quadriplegic or suffered severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). These homes restore some of the freedom and independence our veterans sacrificed defending ours, and enable them to focus on their family, recovery and rebuilding their lives.
HFOT broke ground on the home for Sgt. Sweeney and his wife Amber this past spring. Upon hearing of the family’s need for lawn care equipment, Cub Cadet distributor Power Equipment Systems of Salem, Ore., and local Cub Cadet dealer Stark Street Lawn and Garden jumped at the chance to get involved.
Stark Street Lawn and Garden and Power Equipment Systems hand-delivered the Cub Cadet RZT zero-turn riding mower to the building site as volunteers worked throughout the day to install new lawn and landscaping features.
For more information or to get involved with HFOT, visit hfotusa.org.
AMERICAN HERO — Pictured from right to left are Sgt. Joshua Sweeney, Patric Howard (Stark Street), Amber Sweeney (Joshua’s wife) and Pete Smith (PES).
