JPMorgan Chase Awards 1,000th Home to Purple Heart Recipient with Operation Homefront
Operation Homefront, the national nonprofit that builds strong, stable, and secure military families, was privileged to host the celebration of JPMorgan Chase’s 1,000th mortgage-free home award to a military family. JPMorgan Chase presented the keys to the milestone home to Purple Heart Recipient and U.S. Army Specialist Brian Storemski and his wife, Alison, in Bowie, Maryland.
More than 100 people attended the home presentation event on November 14th including, Mark Elliott, Head of Military and Veterans Affairs for Chase, Bill Ackerman and Rusty Smallwood of Chase Owned Real Estate division, Rob Robertson, DC area Market Manager for Chase, and over 40 Chase employees. The event also welcomed special guests Leon Harris of NBC4, Mayor G. Fred Robinson, Eve Schuman of Senator Chris Van Hollen’s (D-MD) office, Franklin Killebrew of the MD Veterans Commission, and Secretary George Owings of the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs. The 1,000th home celebration commemorated the significant accomplishment of a pledge made by Chase CEO Jamie Dimon in 2011.
“We’re honored to reflect on the 1,000 families whose service we have celebrated through this program,” said Mark Elliott, Head of Military and Veterans Affairs at JPMorgan Chase. “At JPMorgan Chase, we support service members as they transition to post-military life, and we know that finding a home is a critical part of that transition. The Storemskis are working tremendously hard to rebuild their lives. We’re thrilled to join Operation Homefront to provide them, and many more families to come, with a solid foundation for a secure future.”
“We are absolutely thrilled to have been able to partner with JPMorgan Chase to provide mortgage-free homes to veteran families over the past seven years,” said Brig. Gen. (ret.) John I. Pray, Jr., president and CEO of Operation Homefront. “
Today, we celebrate the award of their 1,000th home to Army veteran Brian Storemski and his wife Alison and recognize JPMorgan Chase’s unwavering commitment to helping us help transitioning military veterans have the opportunity to thrive, not simply struggle to get by, in the communities they have worked so hard to protect.”
Brian Storemski was injured while serving in Afghanistan as an Army medic, earning him a Purple Heart. When he was forced to medically retire after seven years of service, the abrupt end to his military career left him, and his wife, struggling with their employment options, unsure of their financial future and without a place to call home. During Brian’s rehabilitation, the Storemskis decided to make the Washington, D.C area their home, and they applied to Operation Homefront’s Homes on the Homefront (HOTH) program to receive the Bowie house.
After accepting the keys to the JPMorgan Chase home, the Storemskis officially entered the HOTH program. During the two-to-three year long program, Brian and Alison, will work with financial counselors and caseworkers to build their savings, reduce debt, and learn home ownership skills that will provide long-term stability.
“Ali and I are excited to start a family in the Bowie house,” said Brian. “We would just like to say thank you to Operation Homefront and Chase. The assistance takes a great deal of stress off our shoulders. Thank you from the both of us.”
The HOTH program will allow Brian and Alison to focus on their financial wellness and to concentrate on education goals. They also look forward to expanding their family as they begin their exciting journey in their new home. Upon successful completion of the HOTH program, the Storemskis will graduate and receive the deed to the home. Since 2012, over 500 families have graduated from the HOTH program and have been deeded their home, mortgage-free. Since the program began, Operation Homefront has provided over $75 million dollars in associated home equity to military families. JPMorgan Chase and Operation Homefront have partnered together for the past seven years to deliver this important program, creating a generational impact on the lives of military families by giving them a solid foundation to support their families now, and into the future.
For the past eight years, JPMorgan Chase has worked with nonprofits, such as Operation Homefront, to select the extraordinary military families who receive the homes and has reached veterans of all six branches of service, awarding them with mortgage-free homes in communities across 44 states. The financial services firm has supported veterans since before World War I.
The Military and Veterans Affairs program uses the firm’s full resources and its relationships with non-profit and government partners to ensure that service members, veterans and their families have access to products and services, employment opportunities, professional development tools and small business resources.
Since the program started in 2011, JPMorgan Chase has hired more than 14,000 veterans and facilitated 470,000 veteran hires through the Veteran Jobs Mission coalition; committed more than $4.6 million to support veteran-owned small businesses; and helped 6,600 veterans and military spouses complete 9,100 career certifications through Veterans Career Transition Program at the Institute for Veterans and Military Families, which was co-founded and is supported by JPMorgan Chase and Syracuse University. Learn more at: www.jpmorganchase.com/veterans
About Operation Homefront:
Founded in 2002, Operation Homefront is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families so that they can thrive – not simply struggle to get by – in the communities they have worked so hard to protect. Recognized for superior performance by leading independent charity oversight groups, 92 percent of Operation Homefront expenditures go directly to programs that support tens of thousands of military families each year. Operation Homefront provides critical financial assistance, transitional and permanent housing and family support services to prevent short-term needs from turning into chronic, long-term struggles. Thanks to the generosity of our donors and the support from thousands of volunteers, Operation Homefront proudly serves America’s military families. For more information, visit OperationHomefront.org.
JPMorgan Chase’s commitment to service members and veterans:
JPMorgan Chase, a leading global financial services firm with assets of $2.6 trillion and operations worldwide, has supported our veterans since before World War I. The Office of Military and Veterans Affairs (MVA), started in 2011, has hired more than 14,000 veterans and facilitated more than 470,000 veteran hires through the Veteran Jobs Mission coalition; awarded 1,000 mortgage-free homes to military families in need; helped 7,700 veterans and military spouses complete 10,500 career certifications through Veterans Career Transition Program at the Institute for Veterans and Military Families, which was co-founded and is supported by JPMorgan Chase and Syracuse University. Learn more at: www.jpmorganchase.com/veterans.
