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Two Veteran Families to Be Honored During Special Ceremony at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival Presented by Chase

JPM | November 10, 2016

Two Veteran Families to Be Honored During Special Ceremony at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival Presented by Chase

Building Homes for Heroes and Chase Partnered to Gift the Families Mortgage-Free Homes

This Veterans Day weekend, two deserving veterans and their families will be recognized for their sacrifice and service to our country during a special ceremony at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. The military families have each been awarded a newly renovated mortgage-free home in Florida from Building Homes for Heroes and Chase.

Army Staff Sergeant Anthony Cala and Army Sergeant Christopher Wooten both served overseas and sustained serious injuries. They enlisted in the military and bravely served their country. Both veterans and their families were invited to spend two magical days enjoying Walt Disney World Resort and will be recognized for their extraordinary service to our country on November 12, 2016, at the America Gardens Theatre in Epcot.

Army Staff Sergeant Anthony Cala joined the military out of California in February 2002, with the desire to serve his country and obtain an education. After being honorably discharged from active duty on November 28, 2011, he joined the Washington National Guard the following day, where he is still presently involved. Staff Sergeant Cala was deployed three times, serving his country for nearly a decade, and received numerous awards and medals. Cala, his wife Jennifer and their two children received a mortgage-free home in Lakeland, Fla., in 2016.
Army Sergeant Christopher Wooten joined the military out of Portland, Texas, in 2006 because serving his country was something he always wanted to do. His father also served in the military for 20 years. Sergeant Wooten medically retired in 2011. For his service, he has received numerous awards and medals. Wooten, his wife Maclaine and their four children received a mortgage-free home in Fort Myers, Fla., in 2016.

The homes were awarded through an alliance between Building Homes for Heroes, a national nonprofit that provides homes to wounded warriors, and Chase. JPMorgan Chase has pledged to award 1,000 newly renovated mortgage-free homes to deserving veterans and has already provided more than 880 – 206 in Florida alone – in conjunction with nonprofit organizations such as Building Homes for Heroes.

“We are proud to have partnered with Building Homes for Heroes once again to make a small contribution to the lives of two very deserving families,” said Ross Brown, head of Military and Veterans Affairs at JPMorgan Chase. “Each of these families deserves unending appreciation for their remarkable service to our country.”

"We are truly creating a better tomorrow by making it possible for families to build solid foundations. Thanks to the generosity of Chase these two families, and nearly 1,000 other veteran families around the country, are homeowners," said Kimberly Vesey, Director of Military Relations of Building Homes for Heroes.

In addition to the ceremony at the Festival, Chase will participate in several events across the country honoring veterans, service members and their families this Veterans Day. JPMorgan Chase is committed to supporting America’s military and veteran communities through employment, small business and financial capability. More information can be found at jpmorganchase.com/veterans.

About Chase

Chase is the U.S. consumer and commercial banking business of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM), a leading global financial services firm with assets of $2.4 trillion and operations worldwide. Chase serves nearly half of America’s households with a broad range of financial services, including personal banking, credit cards, mortgages, auto financing, investment advice, small business loans and payment processing. Customers can choose how and where they want to bank: 5,300 branches, 15,500 ATMs, mobile, online and by phone. For more information, go to Chase.com.

About Building Homes for Heroes

Counting nine consecutive years of record-setting growth, Building Homes for Heroes® builds and gifts mortgage-free homes, and completes home modifications, for veterans and their families, and provides further services along their road to recovery to help them live a promising and fulfilling life ahead. The organization is strongly committed to rebuilding lives and supporting the brave men and women who were injured while serving the country after September 11, 2001, during the time of the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan. After gifting 28 homes in 2015, Building Homes for Heroes® is on target to gift 32 homes in 2016. It's our honor to support the men and women who have loyally and courageously served our country. To learn more about the organization, visit www.buildinghomesforheroes.org.