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I hope
all of our readers and supporters are enjoying the summer season. Our July 11 Golf Classic was very successful and we have started the new fiscal year in strong fashion.
Our entire staff continues to work vigorously to prepare our residents to seek and secure employment and housing opportunities. We are endeavoring to keep them engaged and helping them achieve holistic growth in order to meet these goals.
In addition, we are making many new friends and showcasing our organization to area businesses, individuals, and other non-profits and are delighted with the feedback we've been getting on the work our staff and residents do.
In August, we're excited to team up once again with our partners at Northeast Tree Service, this time for a Benefit Bike (Motorcycle) Run on
Sunday, August 14. You can find details about this unique event and others later on in this edition of
The Perimeter.
Creating Hope, Building Dreams...
Vincent Santilli
CEO
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Homes for the Brave Golf Classic
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Thank you to everyone who participated in our 12th Annual Golf Classic at
Race Brook Country Club. We could not have asked for a more beautiful day or better friends with whom to spend it.
In addition to a challenging but peaceful round of golf, attendees enjoyed a variety of contests, prizes, and exciting auction items, including a visit to CBS Studios to meet the NFL Today team, a Pizza Truck Party, and rounds of golf at the area's most exclusive clubs.
This year, we added a twist to the tournament by wrapping up with a New England Lobster Bake. We were thrilled to be joined by friends and family to enjoy classic regional cuisine and to celebrate our important cause.
Click here to view the full gallery of photos from this year's Homes for the Brave Golf Classic & Lobster Bake.
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Upcoming Events
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Sunday, August 14 - Homes for the Brave Bike Run (Bridgeport, CT; Stratford, CT)
Once again, our dear friends at Northeast Tree Service are helping our heroes, but this time with a Benefit Bike Run. Riders and spectators alike are invited to
Homes for the Brave
for breakfast and the send-off, Marnick's in Stratford for the after party, or both! Check out the flyer for details.
Saturday, September 24 - "Step Up for the Brave" Stadium Stair Climb Challenge (Bridgeport, CT)
Step Up for the Brave is a vertical challenge where patrons will "brave the heights" in honor of our brave military. Join us at the Ballpark at Harbor Yard, or participate as a virtual climber.
Registration is now open
with $25 early bird pricing through September 1!
Learn more here
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Friday, November 11 - Homes for the Brave Mini-Golf Tournament (Stratford, CT)
This Veterans Day, we are launching a brand new FUNdraiser: the Mini-Golf Tournament! Adults of all skill levels are invited to join us at Oronoque Country Club in Stratford for dinner, drinks, prizes, and 18-holes of indoor miniature golf.
Save the date
; details to follow in August!
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Dinner with Friends
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Independence Day
Many thanks to our friends Jim Miele, David Dubinsky, and the
DAV Milford Ladies' Auxiliary for celebrating Independence Day with the women in our
Female Soldiers: Forgotten Heroes
program. We all enjoyed your company and appreciate how much thought and effort you put into making the holiday so special for our Veterans.
Mexican Night
with
The Valley Boys & Los Molcajetes
Everybody knows that when a group of friends we've dubbed "The Valley Boys" comes for a visit, it's going to be a party. In July, they partnered up with
Los Molcajetes Restaurant in Norwalk to bring our residents a fiesta complete with authentic Mexican cuisine.
When Los Molcajetes owners Carlos Vargas and Chef Griselda Loza heard about
Homes for the Brave
, they were eager to pitch in and donated the
taco dinner, complete with rice, beans, and the fixings.
Los Molcajetes, which means "the mortars" (think: full of homemade guacamole) is located in Norwalk's Liberty Square. Stop by or order in to try their house specialty: Camarones Sarandeados, a spicy shrimp dish.
Many thanks to the Vargas-Loza family for sending a taste of Mexico to Bridgeport!
Thanks also to Bob, Jeanine, Joe, Leo, Ray, Rob, and Will for sharing your humor, generosity, and friendship (and cheesecake and oversized cookies) with all of us at
Homes for the Brave
!
AWARE Wrap-Up
The inspirational women of
AWARE CT have spent the past year serving dinners, collecting in-kind donations, and raising funds for our
Female Soldiers: Forgotten Heroes
program. On July 27, a few of our dearest friends from the group returned to the PFC Nicholas A. Madaras House to celebrate our partnership.
AWARE's members, existing and graduated residents, and our staff had a great time reminiscing about the visits we've shared, discussing our goals for the future, and dining on a pulled-pork feast that only took Chef Nicole 36 hours to prepare!
Following dinner, AWARE's members presented
FS:FH with a check for $10,000, which they raised at their "Have a Ball" fundraiser in April.
Thank you, AWARE CT for supporting us in every way imaginable. We wish you the best of luck with your 2016-2017 project and know that we will see you again soon!
Orange Community Women
Thank you,
Orange Community Women, for all of the thought you put into preparing a delicious steak dinner for our female soldiers this month. Everyone is still talking about the mouthwatering meal and looking forward to seeing each of you again!
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Poetry Corner
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This month, our house poet chose to share a piece that celebrates the season and encourages us to stop and truly take in the remaining weeks of summer.
SANDY REVELATIONS
White winged seagulls
Strut along the algae line
Leaving backward arrow footprints
In soft shell strewn sand
I stand alone on this
early morn july beach
I stare at the sun rising upon waves
Carrying its reflection in to shore
A shoreline breeze picks up sand
And dances with it in little swirls
Holds it close for a second or two
And frees it amongst small empty shells
The typewriter in my mind clacks away
To this shoreline of sounds and reflections
Singing out a song of contemplations
And perhaps shoreline revelations.
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Giving Back
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Quilting for a Cause
Female Soldiers: Forgotten Heroes program.
The groups invited community members of all skill levels to prepare squares and quilt tops that will soon be compiled into full-size, handmade quilts for our female residents. Close to Home provided snacks for the attendees along with all of the equipment and materials needed to construct each piece.
"These are people who put their lives on the line for us," said Close to Home owner Marilyn Gattinella. "The fact that they're struggling at this point in their lives is a sadness we all have to bear and we all have a responsibility to help. This is just a little something we can do to express our appreciation in a way that we're comfortable."
In addition to serving our Veterans, Close to Home also partners with Connecticut Children's Hospital, Middlesex Hospital, the CT Humane Society, and others to provide bedding and clothing to people and pets in need.
Close to Home and Quilts of Valor are still seeking volunteers of all experience levels to complete the quilts. If you are interested in lending a hand, please
contact Marilyn. She promises that you'll enjoy "a lot of camaraderie, a lot of good vibes, and results to show for it!"
Jimmy Booth's Run in the Pub
On July 30, Norwalk resident Jimmy Booth is running a full marathon (26.2 miles) to help raise awareness for Veteran homelessness and funding for
Homes for the Brave
. Sounds interesting already, right? Well, what if we told you that he'll be running said marathon on a treadmill in a bar?
If you catch this edition of the Perimeter in time,
run down to
O'Neill's Pub & Restaurant in Norwalk between 11 a.m.-4 p.m. to cheer Jimmy on as he tackles the harrowing challenge. Otherwise, stay tuned in to our
Facebook page to see Jimmy's results!
"Regardless of the outcome from this event then my message to everyone is clear," said Booth. "Try to give back to others in need even if you can do something whether it is a little bit then it goes a long way."
Go get 'em, Jimmy!
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Shout Outs
AWARE CT
Black Tie Tournaments
Boy Scout Troop 71 Stratford
Bridgeport Elks
buildOn
Center for Family Justice
Close to Home Glastonbury
Community Plates
Devine Hydraulics
DiMatteo Group
Do's by TT
Dworken, Hillman, LaMorte & Sterczala, P.C.
Ebenezer Gospel Assembly
Fairfield Half Marathon Inc. - JB Sports
Fairfield Rotary Club
First Choice Title
General Needs
Greenfield Hill Congregational Church
Hampton Inn by Hilton Shelton
Irwin & Dorothy Nessel Foundation
It's Tax Time
Jim Booth
Kiwanis Club of Bridgeport
Klein Family Foundation
Knights of Columbus Assembly General Philip Sheridan Assembly 107
Knights of Columbus Council Our Lady of the Assumption 11077
Knights of Columbus Park City Council 16
Knights of Columbus St. Catherine of Siena 5806
Knights of Columbus St. Matthew 14360
Los Molcajetes
May, Bonee & Walsh
National Charity League New Canaan
National Charity League Westport
Newman's Own Foundation
Nielsen
Orange Community Women
Peoples United Bank
Pullman & Comley
Race Brook Country Club
Riverside Community Church
Romano, Parker & Associates
S.P.A.Z. Property, LLC
Spadaccino Realty Team
Spc. Wilfredo Perez Jr. Memorial Fund
St. Catherine of Sienna Knitting Club
Teamsters Local 1150
The Pet Hospital of Stratford
Trumbull Rotary Club
Tumble Jungle
Valley Boys
Valley Girls
Walbert Capital Management
Tributes
In Memory of William Gagnon
In Memory of PFC Joseph Santilli
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