PALM BEACH, FL (June 24, 2012) - American veterans from World War II, to
the present will be honored during a fundraiser for The Friends of Fisher House, Wednesday
July 11th from 5:30 p.m.
– 7:30 p.m. at Taboo Restaurant
in Palm Beach and veterans from
across the globe are contributing their fundraising efforts.
Honored
guests for the evening will include Joseph
Dryer, one of the few remaining survivors of the attack on Iwo Jima; Jerold Klein, Friends of Fisher House
Treasurer and recipient of the Silver Star for heroism in Vietnam; Daniel R. Baer who served in World War
II; Rodman Steele a Vietnam Vet, Desmond Price who was deployed five
times, and recently returned from Iraq and Afghanistan, and Ted Task and Frank Hogan who both served as US Marines during the Korean War.
Says
Joe Dryer, “I was a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Marines during WWII and was shot
in the chest with a machined gun on Iwo Jima -- the biggest and bloodiest
battle in Marine Corps history. When we landed on the beach we had 35
officers. When I was hit, there were only four of us left.” Dryer’s
father was also an American veteran serving in WW I and joining the Marine
Corps as Major in 1943.
The Friends of Fisher House first
fundraiser in Palm Beach has the overwhelming support of the local community,
and many dedicated American veterans were the first to offer their support for
this great cause. Graham Gaspard, President of Black River Caviar, whose father George ‘Speedy’ Gaspard served in WWII,
Korea and Vietnam and received the Silver Medal of Freedom, donated a kilo of
Caviar to be used during the event.
Ed Ivy, Director of Village Camps in Switzerland served in
Vietnam along with his brother, generously donated a $5,000 summer camp session
for the auction.
“My
brother and I both served in Vietnam, and our father in World War II. What I did is no different than the
hundreds of thousands of GI’s that have served. Serving as we did makes us better able to appreciate the men
and women who have served and continue to our Country every day," said Mr.
Ivy.
West
Palm Beach-based Florida Crystals
was among the first to offer support, and more than twenty prominent community
leaders have contributed funds or volunteered to act as celebrity bartenders to
raise money for the local "home away from home" for the families of
veterans being treated at the VA
Hospital. The impressive
roster of supporters includes philanthropists Diana and Llwyd Ecclestone; South Florida
builder/developer/promoter Michael
Capponi; President/CEO of Douglas Elliman, Vanessa Grout; NFL Hall of Famer Tucker Frederickson; American Le Mans race car driver Jay Cochran; and
a host of local movers and shakers including: Diane N. Weiss, Franklyn di Marco, Philip Nicozisis, Jeff
Koons, Brad Deflin, Carlos
Morrison, Tommy Morrison, Jim Pappas, Andres Fanjul, Daniel Jennings, Adam
Lipson, Alexis Posada, Pamela Tombari, Marrisa Pepper, Avery Dimmig, Robert
Riva, Reid Boren and Philip Nicozisis.
Juicy Couture and Sequin Boutique
have extended their hours to co-host the event, offering their venue for the
Caviar Reception and Chinese auction item overflow. Other luxury brand sponsors donating their time or items for
donations include: The Breakers, Stubbs
& Wootton, Fisher Island Club, Christofle, Key Leaf, Emilio Pucci, Badgley
Mischka, Frederic Fekkai, Daniella Ortiz, and Island Company.
If
you would like more information on this topic or to schedule an interview,
please call Linda Soper at (612) 308.4159 or email: linda@lindalanemarketing.com.
About Fisher House:
The
Fisher House program is a unique private-public partnership that supports
America's service men and women in their time of greatest need. Families do not pay to stay at Fisher
Houses, which serve as a "home away from home" for them while their
loved ones are receiving medical care at major military and VA medical
centers.
The
program was the brainchild of New York real estate developer and philanthropist
Zachary Fisher and his wife Elizabeth who opened the first "Zachary and
Elizabeth Fisher House" at the National Naval Medical Center Bethesda,
Maryland on 24 June 1990. There
are now over 50 Fisher Houses throughout the United States, and the program is
growing every year in response to the needs of veterans and their
families. More than 183,000 days
of lodging are provided by Fisher Houses every year.
The
local Fisher House is an eight-bedroom facility situated on the West Palm Beach
VA Medical Center campus. It has been in operation since 1995, and has
accommodated approximately 10,100 families. Each guest room has a laptop with Wi-Fi Internet, flat
screen TV, and a DVD/VCR player. Families are welcomed to use a fully stocked
kitchen to provide for their meals.
The homey living room has an extensive library of books, DVD's and
games, and the shaded patio overlooking the quiet lake behind the house
provides a much- needed respite for families after caring for their loved ones
at the Medical Center.
The
Friends of the Fisher House, a charitable corporation recognized under section
501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, supports all the needs of the West Palm
Beach VA Fisher House. Board members volunteer their time and talents to raise
funds for food, supplies and necessary capital improvements. In the words of
Board President Joseph A. Tringali, "The expenses of the Board are zero
and will remain that way." The Friends of Fisher House have also
established a voucher program with selected area hotels to take care of
families when Fisher House has no vacancies.
The
Friends of Fisher House anticipates the demand for rooms will continue to
increase, especially now that the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center has a major
cancer treatment facility. They
believe that America owes a debt to its veterans and their families who deserve
to be fully supported in their time of need with safe and convenient lodging
while in the West Palm Beach area for medical treatment. One Board member
summed up our obligation to our veterans with one simple statement – “We have a
‘land of the free’ because of the brave!"
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