The 7th Annual Building Homes for Heroes Golf Classic was held at the Rockville Links Club on the 11th of October. One hundred fifty-two golfers took to the course on a spectacular fall day! The event was a tremendous success, raising nearly $82,000 for the severely wounded men and women of the military. Special thanks goes out to the golf outing's planning committee. The event, which led to a feature on News 12 Long Island, took on exceptional proportions largely in part to the hard work and perseverance of Jim Adelis, Bob Amabile, Bob Carpenter, and Jim Hayhurst. Also instrumental in making the outing a huge success were our volunteers, especially Jennifer Jordano and Blanca Pinedo.

As always, the highlight of the day was the presence of our guests of honor -- six Iraq or Afghanistan war veterans -- James Byler, William Castillo, Chris Gordon, Mary Herrera, B.J. Jackson, and Chris Levi. Herrera, who was wounded in Iraq in 2003 while a member of 855th Military Police Company of the Arizona National Guard, presented The Fallen Comrade table, an emotional ceremony which recognizes all of those who lost their lives while serving the country.

This was followed by a memorable performance by the Nassau County Police Department's Pipe and Drum band, and finally a dramatic duet by artist Scott Lobaido and singer Danny Rodriguez. Lobaido, who is known for his "Flags Across America" project, brought down the house by painting Old Glory in three minutes as America's Beloved Tenor belted out America the Beautiful!

Thank you to Brad Matthees and the entire staff at the Rockville Links Club for all of their support.