Adam Popp, a retired U.S. Air Force technical sergeant, is ready to make new memories with his family when he moves into a home adapted to his needs in Lafayette.

On Saturday, Popp was honored by Homes For Our Troops, a nonprofit group that builds homes tailored to the needs of severely injured post-9/11 military veterans. Held at the Tri-City Elks Lodge in Louisville, 525 Main St., the ceremony featured Popp’s friends, family and supporters welcoming him to the community.

In 2007, Popp lost part of his right leg when he triggered an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan.

His one-story adapted house in Lafayette will be easier for Popp to navigate with his prosthetic leg, than his former home in Virginia.

“Everything’s a little bit outdated and narrow and tight,” Popp said of his old, three-story home. “Homes For Our Troops means the future — being able to truly focus on my future and bettering myself, and bettering my community.”

Popp, his wife Amanda, and their 2-year-old son Logan received a police escort to the lodge, arriving in a Louisville Fire Department truck. A few dozen guests cheered as the Popp family arrived.

Over its 20-year history, Homes For Our Troops has donated more than 380 adapted houses to veterans across the country. 21 of those homes are in Colorado, and one is currently being built in Mead.

The ceremony began with a letter presentation from Sen. Michael Bennett, D-Colo. In his letter, Bennett thanked Popp for his service and for choosing Colorado as his new home.

State Rep. Jennifer Parenti, a Democrat for Colorado’s 19th district, spoke about her own experience in the Air Force and told Popp she was happy to have him in the area.

“There’s a lot of veterans here,” Parenti said. “You’re going to find a really welcoming and warm community.”A few of the nonprofit’s corporate sponsors and donors shared recent fundraising goals they met to support the construction of Popp’s house.

“The cornerstone of our mission statement is that we promote healing among all veterans and their families and friends,” said Longmont resident Kirk Olsen, a route coordinator for the veterans’ nonprofit group Run for the Wall.

“And I can’t think of a better way to promote healing than to raise money for Homes For Our Troops.”

Popp recently received his master’s degree in counseling and is interested in working for veterans nonprofits.

He enjoys running, swimming and cycling, and participates in marathons.

“If (that’s) what Adam has achieved while living in a three-story house, I can’t imagine what he can accomplish with a fully adapted house here in Colorado,” said fellow veteran Matthew Spang, from Monument.

Popp said he has already met a couple of his future neighbors, and thanked everyone who attended Saturday’s ceremony.

His mom, Luanne Popp, called the house a “dream come true.”

“There are not enough words to say how much this home will positively impact his life every single day,” Luanne Popp said.