Tunnel to Towers Foundation Delivers Mortgage-Free Smart Homes to Three Injured Veterans

Triple Smart Home Ceremony on July 16 at 11:00 AM

LAND O’ LAKES, FLORIDA [July 16, 2025] – On Wednesday, July 16, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation will welcome three injured veterans into their new mortgage-free smart homes in the Let Us Do Good Village in Land O’ Lakes, Florida.

The Foundation will present mortgage-free, fully accessible smart homes to:

• Master Sergeant Shawn Mullins (Air Force)  
• Specialist Steven Travis Maxwell (Army)
• Private First Class Charlie Figueroa (Army)

The Let Us Do Good Village is a unique community of nearly 100 homes that will all be provided mortgage-free to catastrophically injured veterans and first responders, as well as Gold Star and Fallen First Responder families. The village features an accessible design throughout, creating an ideal support community.

U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant Shawn Mullins

MSgt Mullins spent 30 years in the Air Force, with multiple overseas deployments. When America was attacked on 9/11, he helped to load the fighter jets that flew over New York. 

During his career, he suffered from multiple back injuries and surgeries and was diagnosed with PTSD. He medically retired from the Air Force in 2015. In 2019, he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, an autoimmune illness that attacked his nervous system and left him a home-bound quadriplegic relying on an electric wheelchair. 

He will move into his new smart home in the Let Us Do Good Village and is eager to reengage with community life. 

“Tunnel to Towers saved my life, I cannot wait to start a new chapter with my fellow Veterans in Village,” said MSgt Mullins. 

U.S. Army Specialist Steven Maxwell

Motivated to enlist by the 9/11 attacks, SPC Maxwell joined the Army in March 2002. He deployed to Iraq, where he suffered multiple brain injuries and concussions. He was left with a traumatic brain injury, PTSD, memory loss, and Grand Mal seizures. 

He is moving from Oregon to Florida and looking forward to a safer, supportive future in the Let Us Do Good Village.

“I cannot wait for my family to be part of a community where we can support each other and enjoy the sense of safety in the village…I am so grateful for getting this chance,” said SPC Maxwell. 

U.S. Army Private First Class Charlie Figueroa

PFC Figueroa grew up in a military family; his father and uncles all served, so it felt natural for him to follow in their footsteps. After graduating from high school in 1977, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and deployed to Germany, where he trained for combat missions focused on using rockets to counter enemy tanks.

In 2003, he went to the emergency room because he thought he was having a heart attack. While there, he began to lose feeling in his legs. Doctors discovered a hematoma pressing against his spinal cord. Emergency surgery saved his life, but the injury left him permanently wheelchair-bound.

PFC Figueroa is ready for his next chapter in the Let Us Do Good Village. 

“I’m looking forward to a home where I have more space to move around, feel more comfortable, and be in a community that understands everything I have been through,” said PFC Figueroa.