Pictured: PulteGroup’s donated Sapphire Point home includes more than 2,000 square feet and thoughtfully designed wheelchair accessible features for Sgt. 1st Class Lucio Gaytan. Photo courtesy of PulteGroup.

Retired U.S. Army veteran Lucio Gaytan and his family received a warm welcome during the July 12 dedication ceremony of their new mortgage-free Pulte home. Attended by more than 250 guests, including PulteGroup employees and trade partners, Lakewood Ranch community representatives, state and local dignitaries and neighbors, the ceremony marked the completion of the four-bedroom, three-bath home in Sapphire Point at Lakewood Ranch. The home was donated to Sgt. 1st Class Gaytan through PulteGroup’s Built to Honor® program, which recognizes and thanks military personnel who have been injured during their service.  Since founding Built to Honor® in 2013, PulteGroup has donated 77 mortgage-free homes to veterans and their families, totaling more than $35 million in value. Recipients are identified through partnerships with other organizations serving military veterans. For the Gaytan home, Pulte worked with Building Homes for Heroes, a nationwide nonprofit of communities and corporations dedicated to improving the lives of military personnel. After PulteGroup identified the decorated Army veteran as a recipient for a mortgage-free Built to Honor® home, Pulte first honored Sgt. Gaytan with a ceremonial groundbreaking this spring. Well- wishers lined the street as the family was escorted by a patriotic motorcade to their future home for the groundbreaking in early spring – coinciding with the 27th anniversary of Gaytan’s enlistment. Pulte also honored Gaytan in April during Notes of Love, an event attended by county and community leaders, the family’s future Sapphire Point and Lakewood Ranch neighbors, friends, military veterans, trade partners, and representatives from PulteGroup and Building Homes for Heroes. Attendees wrote messages of appreciation, support and encouragement on the foundation, beams and drywall of the under-construction home. As the newest residents in Sapphire Point, the Gaytan’s will enjoy the community’s recently completed amenity center which includes a resort-style pool, basketball court, dog park, playground, and clubhouse offering a fitness center and community room, as well as the active lifestyle and proximity to dining, shops and entertainment throughout Lakewood Ranch, the top-selling community in the United States.

Pictured: PulteGroup’s donated Sapphire Point home includes more than 2,000 square feet and thoughtfully designed wheelchair accessible features for Sgt. 1st Class Lucio Gaytan. Photo courtesy of PulteGroup.