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Homes for Heroes cuts ribbon at military museum

3 min read

The hero is a soldier, sailor, fireman, police officer and teacher, among other things.

As such, they should be given an opportunity to own a piece of the American dream they have given others through their work and sacrifice.

Homes for Heroes, a company that affiliates itself with area real estate-related service providers to provide savings and rebates to people who serve our communities daily, held a ribbon cutting at the Southwest Florida Military Museum and Library in Cape Coral on Wednesday as a way of saying they are ready for business in Lee County.

Those who came were treated to entertainment and refreshments, a 50/50 raffle to benefit the museum, and one person received a door prize, a 50-inch flat-screen TV.

Tickets also will be made available for a raffle the museum is doing with the prize being a Camaro convertible, which will be given away in September.

Most important, heroes can find out how to tap into the savings they earned from their service when buying, selling or refinancing their home.

“All these groups are coming together to make sure these people know the benefits they’ve earned,” said Kevin McCauley, a disabled veteran who works for Barclay’s Real Estate Group and is a main sponsor. “A lot of people don’t know they’ve earned this benefit.”

The program was begun following Sept. 11, 2001 as a way to thank those who have given so much, and on Wednesday, Homes for Heroes, their affiliates and the Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce expressed its thanks.

McCauley said everyone has a connection with a hero. As a result, he and others give back their commissions at closing to cut heroes costs at closing.

“As a Realtor, I give back 25 percent of my gross commission to them for their closing costs. The mortgage company gives $500 and the title company gives $300,” McCauley said. “They’ll be dealing with someone who understands where they come from. With the help from the VA, veterans can literally put no money down.”

The museum got involved because Homes for Heroes is one of its corporate members and because of all the good the program can do to heroes, officials said.

“The main idea is to get the message across and to help veterans get into a house,” said Ralph Santillo, founder of Invest in America’s Veterans Foundation, which runs the museum.

Inlanta Mortgage, Borgis Law and American Real Title and AMVETS Post 65 were sponsors. Many charitable entities were also there.

“We’re all there just for the heroes. We have a connection to them and we feel we need to give back to them and this is one way to do it,” McCauley said.

The Cape Coral Military Museum and Library is at 4820 Leonard St.