Mullican Flooring Helps Provide New Specially Adapted Home for Wounded Military Veteran and Police Officer
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn., June 19, 2023 — Mullican Flooring, a leading manufacturer of quality hardwood floors, provided flooring for a new specially adapted smart home for a severely wounded military veteran and former police officer through the Gary Sinise Foundation R.I.S.E Program (Restoring Independence Supporting Empowerment).
The Gary Sinise Foundation serves U.S. defenders, veterans, first responders and others through multiple programs. The R.I.S.E. program provides specially adapted, mortgage-free smart homes for the nation’s most severely wounded heroes, as well as home modifications, mobility devices, and adapted vehicles for injured, wounded, ill and/or aging heroes.
A 3,000-square-foot, fully wheelchair accessible home that included Mullican flooring was recently dedicated for Marine Corps Corporal (Ret.) and Police Officer (Ret.) Sharif Muzayen in St. Mary’s, Georgia.
Muzayen’s five years of service in the U.S. Marine Corps included two deployments to Afghanistan. He served in several roles, including Non-Commission Officer in Charge in the Cross Unit Combat Operations Center as the liaison between American Armed Forces and the Afghan Units. Following his honorable discharge in 2013, he began pre-academy training at the Orange Police Department (Orange County, California), specializing in identifying and arresting DUI drivers.
In December 2016, while responding to a call about a possible drunk driver, Muzayen was struck and severely injured by another drunk driver. His injuries included a broken tibia/fibula, severed femoral artery and brain hemorrhage. Following a long recovery that included two years of physical therapy and multiple surgeries, his left leg was amputated above the knee in December 2019. He retired from the police department after five years of service. Since his retirement, Muzayen and his family moved to Georgia, where he has been working toward a degree in firearms technology.
“It is a tremendous honor to contribute to this home for Officer Muzayen and partner with the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) in support of the Gary Sinise Foundation R.I.S.E Program,” says Neil Poland, president of Mullican Flooring. “In addition to serving his country in the U.S. Marine Corps both here and abroad, Officer Muzayen served and protected the citizens of Orange County, California, at immense cost to himself.
“We are exceedingly indebted to him for his dedication to serving others and the sacrifices he has made, and greatly appreciate the inspiration he provides to us all. We sincerely hope this specially adapted home will make daily life easier for him and his family, and that they will receive much enjoyment from it for many years to come.”
This was the 82nd home built and dedicated by the Gary Sinise Foundation to honor a veteran and/or first responder, and the 68th home for which the NWFA has provided flooring in support of the Gary Sinise Foundation. To learn more about the Gary Sinise Foundation, please visit www.garysinisefoundation.org. ###
About Mullican Flooring
Founded in 1985 and one of the nation’s top five hardwood flooring producers, Mullican Flooring is headquartered in Johnson City, Tennessee, and operates additional production facilities in Norton, Virginia; Holland, New York; and Ronceverte, West Virginia. The company manufactures and sells more than 1,500 products via a network of 40 distributors and 5,000 retail stores across the United States and Canada.
The Gary Sinise Foundation serves U.S. defenders, veterans, first responders and others through multiple programs. The R.I.S.E. program provides specially adapted, mortgage-free smart homes for the nation’s most severely wounded heroes, as well as home modifications, mobility devices, and adapted vehicles for injured, wounded, ill and/or aging heroes.
A 3,000-square-foot, fully wheelchair accessible home that included Mullican flooring was recently dedicated for Marine Corps Corporal (Ret.) and Police Officer (Ret.) Sharif Muzayen in St. Mary’s, Georgia.
Muzayen’s five years of service in the U.S. Marine Corps included two deployments to Afghanistan. He served in several roles, including Non-Commission Officer in Charge in the Cross Unit Combat Operations Center as the liaison between American Armed Forces and the Afghan Units. Following his honorable discharge in 2013, he began pre-academy training at the Orange Police Department (Orange County, California), specializing in identifying and arresting DUI drivers.
In December 2016, while responding to a call about a possible drunk driver, Muzayen was struck and severely injured by another drunk driver. His injuries included a broken tibia/fibula, severed femoral artery and brain hemorrhage. Following a long recovery that included two years of physical therapy and multiple surgeries, his left leg was amputated above the knee in December 2019. He retired from the police department after five years of service. Since his retirement, Muzayen and his family moved to Georgia, where he has been working toward a degree in firearms technology.
“It is a tremendous honor to contribute to this home for Officer Muzayen and partner with the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) in support of the Gary Sinise Foundation R.I.S.E Program,” says Neil Poland, president of Mullican Flooring. “In addition to serving his country in the U.S. Marine Corps both here and abroad, Officer Muzayen served and protected the citizens of Orange County, California, at immense cost to himself.
“We are exceedingly indebted to him for his dedication to serving others and the sacrifices he has made, and greatly appreciate the inspiration he provides to us all. We sincerely hope this specially adapted home will make daily life easier for him and his family, and that they will receive much enjoyment from it for many years to come.”
This was the 82nd home built and dedicated by the Gary Sinise Foundation to honor a veteran and/or first responder, and the 68th home for which the NWFA has provided flooring in support of the Gary Sinise Foundation. To learn more about the Gary Sinise Foundation, please visit www.garysinisefoundation.org. ###
About Mullican Flooring
Founded in 1985 and one of the nation’s top five hardwood flooring producers, Mullican Flooring is headquartered in Johnson City, Tennessee, and operates additional production facilities in Norton, Virginia; Holland, New York; and Ronceverte, West Virginia. The company manufactures and sells more than 1,500 products via a network of 40 distributors and 5,000 retail stores across the United States and Canada.
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