PulteGroup Gifts New Mortgage-Free Home to Arizona Veteran and Purple Heart Recipient

PulteGroup Gifts New Mortgage-Free Home to Arizona Veteran and Purple Heart Recipient

After being greeted by over 100 PulteGroup employees, new neighbors and other community members lining the streets of their new neighborhood on April 24, 2024, U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Christopher Liby and his family were presented the keys to their newly built, mortgage-free home through PulteGroup's Built to Honor®program.

Located in Vail Parke at Rocking K, a Pulte Homes community in Tucson, the Liby family's new home features four bedrooms and was specifically built with accommodations in the event that Staff Sergeant Liby's combat injuries require him to use a wheelchair in the future. The home was also fully furnished with personal touches throughout, including canvas prints of the family, customized merchandise in the children's bedrooms, a stocked pantry with snacks and more.

Staff Sergeant Liby's journey to homeownership started with a surprise announcement before an Arizona Diamondbacks game in June 2023. Invited to attend what they thought would be a routine veteran appreciation event at the ballpark, the Liby family's jaws dropped as it was revealed they would receive a mortgage-free home. Then in October 2023, the family broke ground on their new home at a special event with PulteGroup employees, local supporters and an honor guard from the local Vail High School Junior Naval Reserve Officers' Training Corps. In November 2023, Staff Sergeant Liby was once again surprised as he read thoughtful messages on the framing throughout his new home. As part of Built to Honor's Notes of Love event, PulteGroup employees and community members showed their gratitude and support for him and his family inside the walls of their new home before drywall was installed.

The Liby family's home was built in partnership with Building Homes for Heroes, a national non-profit organization devoted to bringing renewed hope and service to injured veterans.

Staff Sergeant Liby served in the U.S. Marine Corps following high school and before joining the Army. While on patrol in Afghanistan with the Army, Staff Sergeant Liby and his unit were clearing an area of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) when one exploded under their Humvee causing him severe injuries. Since medically retiring from the military, Staff Sergeant Liby has been working to help others, including a local rancher. His dream is to open a ranch for veterans, first responders and their families, and families of the fallen.