BRIDGEPORT, CT – Last month, Homes for the Brave (HFTB) held the 8th Annual Step OUT for the Brave 40,000 Step Challenge and raised more than $86,000 to help Veterans experiencing homelessness.
The organization’s signature fundraiser included nearly 650 participants from 59 towns in Connecticut and 18 states across the country. Collectively, participants took over 23.5 million steps over a nine-day period from Saturday, August 6 through Sunday, August 14, and donations were accepted throughout the month. The challenge was named for the 40,000 Veterans experiencing homelessness across the United States on any given night.
The fundraiser supports the six facilities Homes for the Brave operates in Bridgeport and West Haven. HFTB helps men and women find safe and affordable housing, secure income, and make meaningful contributions to the community. To date, the organization has served over 1,500 individuals, almost all of whom are Veterans.
“We are grateful for the many participants who helped to make this fundraiser a success. As we approach our 20th anniversary, and celebrate our extraordinary growth, this support will allow us to help even more Veterans and their families than ever before,” said CEO and Executive Director, Vince Santilli.
Homes for the Brave would like to thank its sponsors, including Platinum sponsors University of Bridgeport, Bridgeport Islanders, Total Mortgage Arena, Haynes Construction, Haynes Group, Friend of HFTB and Sterling Investment Partners; Gold sponsors Bob & Amy Stefanowski and Teamsters Local 1150; Red White & Blue sponsors Knights of Columbus Park City Council #16, Microboard Processing and Petit Family Foundation; Silver sponsors Liberty Print, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Advantage America Paperboard, Albertus Magnus College, People’s United Bank, T. Arduini Co., Inc., CT Veterans Day Patriot Race, Vazzano’s Four Seasons, Turner Construction Company, King Industries, and Connecticut Community Bank; Winner’s Circle sponsors Kiwanis Club of Bridgeport, AT&T, Mutual Security Credit Union, AVANGRID, County Electric Construction, Bernadette Baldino, Connecticare, Encon, Newtown Savings Bank, Prudential, and Cushman & Wakefield; Salute Our Veterans Sponsors Gerard Musto, Mary V. White, Randy Abrams, Sabino Rodriguez, Walt Benson, Yma Sherry, Debra Greenwood, A. John Walker, Paul Mayer, Jim Allison, Michael Yannotti and Paula Fox.
