Veteran

At one point, each portion of the house was in a different location, Barnett explained, before the modular house came together in the 9000 block of North 12th Street.

Eric Groff, the board chair and president of Rebuilding Together, said finding the right family was key.

After going through several rounds of interviews with more than 60 applicants, the organization narrowed the list to 12 families.

After Ali and his family made it to the final round, they were selected in an almost unanimous vote by the deciding panel, Groff said.

“It was pretty much consensus when we met the Ali family,” Groff said. “They were very grateful, had a very humbling story and had a lot of heart.

“It’s great to turn the keys over to them and say, ‘Welcome home.’ ”

‘I never had a place to call home’

An American flag danced in the wind above Ali as he stood before the crowd to tell his story and express his gratitude.

“Honestly, I never had a place to call home,” Ali said. “For me to get this opportunity is humbling, and I have a lot of different emotions to give my wife and son what I never had.”

Before joining the Marine Corps, Ali and his brother slept on the floor in a sleeping bag alongside their sister’s bed.

“Times were not that good, but we made do with what we had,” Ali said. “That’s why I’m so humble right now.”

In 2007, at age 19, Ali began to serve his country. He was stationed in Japan and later stationed in South Korea, the Philippines and Thailand.

In 2010, Ali was deployed to Sangin, Afghanistan, where his life would forever change. Ali said he was hit with an improvised explosive device and sustained several injuries.

He said he has faced many challenges since, including transitioning back to normal life in the States.

“There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about my brothers (fellow soldiers),” Ali said. “I am very thankful to be alive and to be able to cherish my son and beautiful wife.”

After actively serving the country for 41⁄2 years, Ali was honorably discharged with the rank of lance corporal.

The big reveal

Just after 10 a.m., the black doorknob slowly turned as the Ali family filed into their new home.

Ali led his family across the threshold and glanced from wall to wall as he admired his living room and kitchen.

With family, friends and media following closely behind, they walked from room to room, repeating the same stunned reaction: “Wow.”

“To provide a house for my wife and son, as a father, that is the most important thing for me to focus on,” Ali said as he scanned the walls of the extra bedroom.

Ali, who is now working for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and attending school, explained that ownership of the 1,700-square-foot home ultimately will allow him to provide his son with various opportunities, such as college.

“For me to pave that road for my son — to actually give my son the opportunity to go to college now — that is the most rewarding thing as a parent, other than to see him grow up,” Ali said.

Joining the celebration were members of the Phoenix chapter of the National Basketball Retired Players Association.

Lafayette “Fat” Lever, a star at Arizona State and in the NBA, said it was an honor to participate in the celebratory event and that it is only one of the many ways the Phoenix chapter likes to give back to the community.

“It was a no-brainer to give back,” Lever said.

Lever said that he and his fellow retired NBA players helped in a few ways, including the installation of the solar panels that line the top of the house.

“In sports, we have our own vets that we look up to all the time, but, today, Mr. Ali is the vet that we all look up to,” Lever said.

Ali said that once the dust settled, the house was void of all extra visitors and his family was unpacked, it will finally feel real.

“From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone for this,” Ali said.

NextGen’s Barnett said that this project was especially important to him because he has family members who also serve the country in Special Forces.

“It’s through that connection that I realize the sacrifice that is made,” Barnett said. “We don’t take care of our veterans and we need to do much, much more, but we are learning and the awareness is growing in the country.”

Barnett spoke highly of the Ali family, stating that through the entire process, they have shown nothing but patience and gratitude.

“They are so grateful and humble and they are the kind of family that you would hope to get this home,” Barnett said. “It will definitely change their lives.”