Since 2013, SAIC has donated more than $400K to Building Homes for Heroes’ (BHH) mission of rebuilding the lives of our nation’s most severely injured veterans.
Daniel Devine is our 10th hero to receive a mortgage-free home from SAIC and BHH. On July 13, we welcomed Devine and his two children to their new home in Pensacola, Florida. We continue to raise money at our fundraising page and make contributions, with all donations going toward homes for veterans who were severely wounded while serving our nation. Learn more about Devine below in our BHH heroes gallery.
OUR BHH HEROES
2013
Andrew Toppin
U.S. Army Specialist
2014
Joseph Deslauriers
U.S. Air Force
Master Sergeant
U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant
Christopher Claude
2016
U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant
Kirstie Ennis
2017
U.S. Air Force Major
Gabriel Gonzalez
2018
U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant
Lloyd Howard Jr.
2018
U.S. Navy Lieutenant
Patrick Ferguson
2019
SAIC with Building Homes for Heroes
BHH GIFTS
BHH RANKINGS
96.46
PLATINUM
Charity navigator Rating
Charity navigator Score (out of 100)
rating on guideStar
NAVY PETTY OFFICER FIRST CLASS
DANIEL DEVINE
$400K
TOTAL MONEY RAISED
$71K RAISED
IN 2020
U.S. Navy
Petty Officer
Isaac Francois
2020
Building Homes for Heroes
SAIC AND
U.S. Army Specialist
Hugo Gonzalez
2015
Donate Now
In December 2009, Specialist Andrew Toppin was injured in Iraq when he drove over an IED and his vehicle caught fire. He suffered the loss of his right leg and injuries to his face, arms, and left leg in the blast and resulting fire.
Toppin, his wife, and their two small children received a home in Houston in 2013.
Andrew Toppin
Master Sergeant Joe Deslauriers, a 1st Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron explosive ordnance disposal technician, was injured in an IED blast while serving in Afghanistan in 2011. The explosion resulted in Deslauriers losing both legs above the knee and his left arm at the elbow.
Deslauriers carried out two tours of duty in Afghanistan and served in Iraq, Kuwait, and Kosovo. During his service, he earned the Purple Heart, Bronze Star Medal, Joint Service and Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Achievement Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and more.
SAIC and Building Homes for Heroes gifted Deslauriers, his wife Lisa, and their son a home in Florida in October 2014.
Joe Deslauriers
Specialist Hugo Gonzalez was severely injured in Iraq in June 2004. He was on patrol when his vehicle took a direct hit from an IED and a gun battle broke out with insurgents.
As a result of the blast, Gonzalez suffered a traumatic brain injury, internal bleeding, a sinus bone fracture, a crushed optic nerve (right eye), and a macular hole (left eye), leaving him legally blind. Because of the resulting procedures, Gonzalez suffers seizures requiring long-term therapy.
Gonzalez was awarded the Purple Heart, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and Combat Action Badge.
SAIC helped to welcome Gonzalez, his wife, and their three children into a home in Port St. Lucie, Florida in 2015.
Hugo Gonzalez
Gunnery Sergeant Chris Claude was injured in Iraq in 2006 when his team was ambushed by an IED. He suffered severe shrapnel wounds and burns, plus severe injuries to his right leg and left hand.
Claude also suffered nerve damage on the left side of his body, burns, abdominal wounds caused by shrapnel, and a traumatic brain injury. As a result of his injuries, he underwent an above-the-knee amputation of his left leg, and partial amputation of his left thumb.
For his service, Claude received the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (2X), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (2X), Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal (2X), Marine Corps Recruiting Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, and Navy Unit Commendation.
SAIC and Building Homes for Heroes welcomed Claude and his daughter into their mortgage-free home in Long Pond, Pennsylvania in 2016.
CHRIS CLAUDE
Sergeant Kirstie Ennis was serving as a helicopter door gunner when her helicopter crash-landed in Afghanistan in 2012. The accident caused severe damage to her left leg that resulted in an above-the-knee amputation, a shattered jaw, severe facial lacerations, a traumatic brain injury, and PTSD.
Despite more than three dozen surgeries, Ennis has learned to walk and talk again and is a picture of perseverance and hope. She placed fifth in women’s snowboard cross at the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, has summited mountains across the world, and participated in a 72-day, 1,000-mile walk across mainland Britain. Ennis created her own non-profit organization, the Kirstie Ennis Foundation, to help disadvantaged populations, including wounded veterans, gain access and confidence in the outdoors. Ennis was honored in 2019 with the Pat Tillman Award for service at the ESPYS.
SAIC and Building Homes for Heroes presented Ennis with a mortgage-free home in Colorado in 2017.
Kirstie Ennis
Major Gabriel Gonzalez was injured in Iraq while serving our country in 2017. Gonzalez suffered devastating head trauma that resulted in a traumatic brain injury, a fractured skull, and a stroke that left him unable to walk or speak.
Gonzalez, who was once confined to a wheelchair, can now walk and talk again thanks to his hard work and the dedication of his mother, Miriam. After spending several years getting to know the Gonzalez family while they waited for their home to be completed, SAIC helped to present Gonzalez and his mother with a mortgage-free home in Land O’ Lakes, Florida in December 2020.
For his service, Gonzalez was awarded the Air Medal (3X), Aerial Achievement Medal (3X), Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Achievement Medal (2X), Meritorious Unit Award, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award (3X), Combat Readiness Medal, Air Force Recognition Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, and Afghanistan Campaign Medal (2X), among other accolades.
Gabriel Gonzalez
Staff Sergeant Lloyd Howard Jr. was conducting route clearance support when his unit was ambushed by enemy insurgents in December 2006. He was knocked unconscious by an explosive, resulting in a traumatic brain injury, PTSD, lumbar strain, nerve damage, cervical spine disorder, and other debilitating health issues.
For his service, Howard was awarded the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal (4X), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (3X), Sea Service Deployment Ribbon (8X), National Defense Service Medal (2X), Iraq Campaign Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Navy Unit Commendation, and Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation (2X).
SAIC helped to welcome Howard, his wife Aleshia, and their four children into a home in Pierce, Florida.
Lloyd Howard Jr.
Lieutenant Patrick Ferguson joined the Navy in 1991 out of the desire to serve our country and continue his family’s long legacy of military service. During his service, he sustained numerous physical and psychological injuries, many of which resulted from his many training operations and deployments. He sustained more than a dozen concussions, and his deployments to hostile territories have left him with severe PTSD. He also suffers from bilateral knee injuries, chronic migraines, tinnitus, and a traumatic brain injury.
For his service, Ferguson was awarded the Combat Action Ribbon (2X), Good Conduct Medal (3X), Iraq Campaign Medal with Bronze Star, Joint Service Commendation Medal (2X), Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal (5X), and National Defense Service Medal.
In December 2019, SAIC volunteers helped to prepare the Ferguson home for the holidays and welcomed Ferguson, his two boys, and his service dog, Ajax, into their new home.
Patrick Ferguson
Petty Officer Second Class Isaac Francois served for 10 years in the Navy before being honorably discharged after his diagnoses of bilateral compartment syndrome and PTSD, which resulted from his tour in Afghanistan. Bilateral compartment syndrome is a condition where there is insufficient blood flow to parts of the body. As a result of his condition, he has undergone seven operations on his leg.
For his service, Francois was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, Global War Terrorism Medal, Good Conduct Medal (3X), Meritorious Unit Commendation, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, NATO Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (2X), Expeditionary Medal, and Fleet Marine Force Ribbon.
SAIC helped to welcome Francois, his wife Wisline, and their three kids into their home in Lusby, Maryland on September 11, 2020, on the 19th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
Isaac Francois
MEET OUR 2021 HERO
Petty Officer First Class Daniel Devine was a senior in high school when the tragic attacks of September 11 took place and called him to serve and protect his country. He enlisted out of Winter Haven, Florida in 2002, just three days after graduating high school.
While deployed in Afghanistan, Devine was severely injured when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device was detonated just over 200 feet from where he was standing. The explosion knocked him unconscious, as he hit his head on the concrete. While he was able to finish his deployment, he suffered from severe migraines throughout, and was later diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, occipital nerve damage, hearing loss, sleep apnea, and tinnitus, all stemming from the explosion. He also suffers from PTSD.
DANIEL DEVINE
For his service to his country, Devine was awarded the Army Commendation Medal (3X), Navy Achievement Medal (5X), Combat Action Ribbon, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Good Conduct Medal (6X), National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal (3X), Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, among other accolades.
Devine and his children received their mortgage-free home in Pensacola, Florida, in July 2021.
U.S. Navy
Petty Officer
Daniel Devine
2021
A MESSAGE From our 2020 Hero
