BPHI GALA HONORING FOUNDERS WAYNE AND MARTI HUIZENGA RAISES MORE THAN $680,000 TO HELP THE HOMELESS

BPHI Board Chair Kevin Leonard with Honorees
Marti & Wayne Huizenga and Co-Chair Ron Book.

Broward Partnership for the Homeless Inc. (BPHI) celebrated the 10-year anniversary of its incorporation by honoring its founders Wayne and Marti Huizenga, Cornerstone Honorees, and Comcast Cable at the annual Salute to Leadership Gala. The event, co-chaired by Ron Bergeron and Ali Waldman, James and Nancy Blosser, Ron Book, Elliot and Mindy Borkson, Rick and Rita Case, James and Jan R. Cummings, and Keith and Doreen Koenig, raised more than $680,000 to help the homeless.

BPHI BPHI Cornerstone Awardees Norman Ostrau, Ron Book, Jack Osterholt, and Kathy Harris.

“Thanks to the Huizengas’ leadership and support, more than 10,000 homeless individuals have accessed BPHI programs,” said BPHI Board of Directors chairman Kevin T. Leonard. “As part of our 10-year anniversary celebration, we were honored to recognize their efforts to help make Broward County a better place for all its residents.”

At the gala, the Huizengas received a special, one-time Founder’s Award recognizing their contribution to the creation of BPHI. The Huizengas are credited with bringing the community together by providing leadership to engage corporate and community leaders in finding a solution to Broward County’s homeless situation – Broward Partnership for the Homeless. They brought passion, as Wayne personally spoke to CEOs, community and government leaders. They brought influence, when every major company in Broward responded to their request by providing time, resources, or talent in support of BPHI. And they brought funds – a $1 million challenge grant to launch the first BPHI Capital Campaign to build the Broward County Central Homeless Assistance Center.

BPHI Board Member Carlos Reyes, 2007 Corporate Honoree Rick Seamon, Comcast Vice President and General Manager and James O’Connor, CEO of Republic Services, Inc.

 “We’re very interested in helping programs that do more than just provide a meal for the night,“ said Huizenga. “We enjoy helping organizations that find solutions to problems in our community.”

 In addition to the Founders Award, the Cornerstone Award honored 11 individuals who were the first to have the vision and strength to tackle Broward’s homeless situation by creating BPHI with a mission to reduce homelessness in Broward County.  The Cornerstone Award was presented to James J. Blosser, Esq., Ronald L. Book, Esq., Elliot P. Borkson, Esq., Alvah H. Chapman, Kathy Harris, Esq., William V. Keith (posthumously), Angelo J. Luiso, B. Jack Osterholt, Norman Ostrau, Esq., Lynn M. Summers, Esq., and Aleida Waldman, Esq.

The Corporate Trusteeship Award this year honored Comcast.  Comcast brought their compassion and cameras to Broward Partnership for the Homeless as part of the company's "Comcast Cares" community involvement program. They have donated more then $100,000 in on-air promotional coverage of BPHI's programs and events - reaching more than 350,000 viewers. Comcast consistently supports BPHI through participating in the Breaking Bread Breaking Barriers program to feed the homeless, taping and airing BPHI public service announcements and hosting clothes and book drives for BPHI residents. 

BPHI CEO Fran Esposito with Myron Budnick and Arty and Denise August.

Gala major sponsors include Leo Goodwin Foundation, Miami Dolphins, The Batchelor Foundation, AutoNation, Inc., Bergeron Land Development, Falcone Group LLC, Krome Mining Partners, Nova Southeastern University, and Sun-Sentinel.

BPHI, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, operates the 57,000 square foot, 200-bed emergency housing facility, the Broward County Central Homeless Assistance Center on the Huizenga Family Campus in Fort Lauderdale as well Inverrary Station in Lauderhill, a 62-bed transitional housing facility for the elderly homeless who are disabled.

For more information about BPHI, please call Katie Gustafson Foster, Chief Development and Communication Officer at 954-832-7029 or email kfoster@bphi.org.

BPHI Board Member Elliot Borkson, Honoree Wayne Huizenga, Mindy and Marla Borkson.	BPHI Co-Chairs Ron Bergeron, Sr., and Ali Waldman with Rita Case.

 

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