Published On: Tue, Nov 14th, 2017

Habitat for Humanity of South Palm Beach Holds VETERANS BUILD To Honor, Remember And Serve Three Hometown Veterans Who Served Our Country

Made possible by a $35,000 gift from presenting sponsor Vertical Bridge with $32,000 in grant funding from Home Depot Foundation, more than 100 volunteers from both companies transformed the homes this week of three US veterans, spanning three generations of service.

Habitat for Humanity Construction Team and Dedicated Volunteers including Veterans

All three homeowners are related as cousins and living on the same street in Delray.  Serving from WII to Iraq to the youngest now stationed in Germany,the homeowners are 92-year-old WWII Veteran Albert Green who served 41 years in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Merchant Marines stationed in the Pacific Rim during WWII in the Steward Department and Sedric Doughty who 17 served years in the U.S. Navy, U.S. Navy Reserve and U.S. Air Force Reserve stationed in Japan as military police officer (final rank E-5) and saw active duty in the Iraq and Afghanistan War. Sedric’s son, 18-year-old Sedric Jr. who lives with him in the home passed down from Sedric’s mom, currently serves in the U.S. Army stationed in Germany.

Alex Gellman, CEO and Co-Founder, Vertical Bridge; Randy Nobles, President and CEO, HFHSPBC; Kimberlee Steck, Sr. Director Human Resources, Vertical Bridge; Kari Oeltjen, Chief Development Officer

Leading by example, breaking a dedicated sweat, digging ditches for a new sprinkler and irrigation system and making home repairs due to damage from Hurricane IRMA was Vertical Bridge’s leadership team of CEO and Co-Founder Alex Gellman, Executive Vice President – Operations and Co-founder Bernard Borghei and CFO Michael Romani and Senior Director Human Resources Kimberlee Steck. Partner Sponsor Team Depot replaced front doors; installed a new wooden fencing; set up a new children’s play set; added mulch, sodding, landscaping and pavers; installed a new shed and new appliances.  Professional Supply provided the irrigation and sprinkler system to make sure the yards could easily maintained by the veterans.

A noon-time ceremony featured veteran color guard and inspiring tribute remarks from City of Delray Beach Mayor Cary Glickstein who appointed homeowner Green honorary mayor for the Veterans Day weekend. Keynote speaker, James F Squadrito, author, Vietnam Veteran and Bronze Star recipient whose book “Dance of the Chameleon, A Vietnam Medic’s Story” is being made into a major motion picture movie, shared his experience with ongoing work to help veterans.

Habitat for Humanity South Palm Beach County volunteers at Veterans Build

“The collective respect, gratitude and admiration for our men and women in uniform, especially for our own veteran homeowners and their families was evident at our Habitat Veterans Build leading into Veterans Day,” said Randy Nobles. “Habitat and our veterans are both appreciative of the generous philanthropy by Vertical Bridge and Home Depot Foundation and for bringing out such dedicated teams to help transform their homes.”

Headquartered in Boca Raton, Vertical Bridge owns, manages and operates a portfolio of both broadband and broadcast towers. Currently the largest owner of broadcast towers and the largest private owner and manager of broadband towers in the US, Vertical Bridge has more than 55,000 towers around the world.

Crystal Spears, Neighborhood Revitalization Coordinator, HFHSPBC; Randy Nobles, President and CEO, HFHSPBC; Mayor Cary Glickstein, City of Delray Beach; James Squadrito, Vietnam Veteran, Bronze Star Recipient and Author, Dance of the Chameleon; Jeff Goldman, Delray Beach Police Chief; Kari Oeltjen, Chief Development Officer, HFHSPBC

According to Vertical Bridge CEO and Co-Founder Alex Gellman, “The company is committed to working with veterans to transfer their military skills into civilian careers.  Because veterans make great tower climbers and they are adept at working in third world countries where the towers are being installed.”

Team Depot (Home Depot)

Its Veterans Build sponsorship is a prime example of its generosity of the Vertical Bridge Charitable Foundation that is committed to giving back to the community and to helping the organizations that our employees and clients support with their time and money. The foundation contributes not only time but also financial resources each year to these organizations, and its employees provide thousands of volunteer hours to help them achieve their missions.

To learn more about the HFHSPBC, a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization, and its teamand sponsored builds, to register as a future builder and/or volunteer, contact Kari Oeltjen, HFHSPBC Chief Development Officer at koeltjen@hfhboca.org or
(561) 819-6070.

 

 

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