Kids ‘R’ Kids Supports Helping A Hero

Kids 'R' Kids Schools and Academies

With over $40,000 in support from Kids ‘R’ Kids Schools and Academies, Helping A Hero (a Texas nonprofit) has built a customized home for a highly decorated Army veteran.

Helping a Hero officially welcomed Sgt. First Class John Walding and his family into their four-bedroom house near the border of the Texas cities Little Elm and Frisco earlier this month.

Dozens of children from Kids ‘R’ Schools and Academies in the North Texas area were on hand to support the event, Kids ‘R’ Kids informed on Friday, Feb. 10.

Walding, a Special Forces communications sergeant, was severely injured during a mission in April 2008.

“It was basically an avalanche of gunfire,” he said.

The lower part of one of his legs was severed by sniper fire. He spent about three hours of the six-and-a-half hour gunfight with the injured part of his leg tied to his thigh.

Following his service in Afghanistan, Walding came home to Texas with questions about how he would provide for his family, he said.

“I tell everyone, the most frustrating part of being in the military is that you protect the American dream, but you can’t afford to live it,” he said.

Helping A Hero, which builds homes for injured veterans, designed the home specifically for the family’s needs.

Walding can use a prosthetic leg to walk, but he often uses a wheelchair at home. His house was specifically designed with wider doorways and features such as a shower seat to make his life more comfortable.

“To have the liberty to just move through your house, it means a lot,” he said. And regarding the children from Kids ‘R’ Kids Schools and Academies Sergeant Walding said, “To have the kids give back like this at such a young age is just instilling values that we need in America.”

Headquartered in the North Atlanta suburb of Duluth, GA, Kids ‘R’ Kids Schools and Academies provide a secure, nurturing, and educational environment for children (ages 6 weeks – 12 years) to bloom into responsible, considerate, and contributing members of society.

With over 160 locations in 15 states, Kids ‘R’ Kids International is a family owned and operated organization.