Students Raise 250k to Build House for Disabled Vet

Now, this is a great story, especially right after veteran's day.

Jerral Hancock lost his left arm and was paralyzed when the tank he was driving hit a roadside bomb in 2007. To add to his woes, Jerral is, or was, homeless. A group of high school students saw to it that one of our nation's veterans has a place to live.

Jamie Goodreau is a high school history teacher in Lancaster, California and every year, she has students raise money for charities that support veterans.

Usually, they raise about $25,000.  But this year they decided to do even more, after meeting an Iraq war veteran named Jerral Hancock.  Jerral lost his left arm and was paralyzed when the tank he was driving hit a roadside bomb in 2007.

Earlier this year, he talked with Goodreau's students about the difficulties he faces every day . . . how his wife left him after he got hurt . . . and how his wheelchair doesn't even fit through the hallway of the mobile home he lives in with his two kids.

So the students decided to do something about it.  And in the first four months, they raised an incredible $80,000 . . . mostly by holding yard sales, pizza nights, and other events.  And once that happened, the whole community started getting involved.

A local bank started donating, and an architect and local contractor volunteered to help.  And the students just bought a $264,000 property where they're planning to build Jerral and his family a new home that'll be handicapped accessible.

And even though some of the students have already graduated since the project began, they're seeing it through.  They hope to have the house built by this summer.