Gary Sinise, an actor best known for his roles in movies like “Forrest Gump,” “Of Mice and Men” and “The Green Mile” will be building a smart home for a local veteran through his foundation that assists injured war heroes and first responders.

Matthew Krumwiede grew up in Pocatello but now resides near Sun Valley in Bellevue, Idaho, where he works as a Veteran and First Responder Alumni Coordinator for Higher Ground USA teaching adaptive sports.

Krumwiede is a veteran who previously served in Afghanistan in 2012. During his tour, Krumwiede was injured by a blast from an improvised explosive device, or IED, which resulted in severe internal injuries that left him without the use of his legs and with a lingering injury to one of his arms.

While Krumwiede is still active and mobile through the use of his wheelchair and prosthetic legs, the new smart home, which will replace his current apartment, will be constructed to accommodate his specific needs, creating an environment that permits maximum mobility, freedom and personal autonomy.

The Gary Sinise Foundation utilizes a program called R.I.S.E. which stands for Restoring Independence Supporting Empowerment. The foundation builds custom smart homes for some of the more grievously injured veterans, specifically focusing on individuals that are not only very deserving of the assistance but whose newly adapted homes could make a life-changing difference.

In an effort to help raise funds for the foundation and assist Krumwiede, there will be a special evening of dinner, trivia and a silent auction during an event dubbed R.I.S.E. 4 Matt set for 5 p.m. on June 8 at Grace Lutheran High School, located at 1350 Baldy Ave. in Pocatello.

“We are still selling tickets to the event,” said Pam Krumwiede, Matthew’s mother. “It’s $55 a seat or a table of eight for $400. There are still some seats available and checks can be made out to the Gary Sinise Foundation and sent to PO box 22132, Pocatello, Idaho, 83206. We have silent auction items and we’re also having a few live auction of items.”

Some of the auction items include a rifle from Ruger, a Pebble Creek ski pass, two season passes to the Idaho State University Bengal football home games and various baskets that include local businesses such as Juniper Hills Country Club and Lamb Weston.

Additionally, two items will be available for bidding at the auction that were created by veterans, which include a black walnut cutting board and a custom leather fly rod case.

“There’ll be a cash bar and people can mill around and check out all the items that are on the auction,” Pam said. “There will be a speaker that talks about the Gary Sinise Foundation and a little bit about Matt and his progress and what he’s been through. We’ll also throw in a little trivia during the evening.”

This particular fundraiser will assist in supporting the Gary Sinise Foundation and help fund Matt’s new smart home with any additional monies earned going toward other veterans in the program.

“What they don’t need for his home, we are able to pass it forward to the next veteran or the next first responder who needs a home for them to build,” Pam said. “Each home is designed specifically for the needs of that veteran or that first responder, so no home is identical. Each wounded veteran is so totally different. They depend so much on electricity to power a lot of their equipment that they require for everyday use.”

The hope is that they will break ground on the smart home sometime in mid- to late-June as the permits and details are finalized.

“I am just very thankful for the for the foundation offering to do this for Matt and I want to give back as best we can.” Pam said.

For anyone interested in learning more about the event they can email the event director at RISE4Matt@gmail.com

For more information on The Gary Sinise Foundation, you can visit garysinisefoundation.org.