On Independence Day...

This past May, Chris and I visited Ridley, Pennsylvania, to be a part of the CertaPro Run For Our Troops 5K. This walk/run was held in beautiful Ridley Creek State Park and benefited Homes For Our Troops.

Homes For Our Troops is a charitable organization building accessible homes for severely-injured veterans — at no cost to the veterans. When our friends at CertaPro Painters approached us and asked us if we wanted to be involved, we jumped at the opportunity. In addition to helping to get the word out and speaking at the event, we donated our very first chair — Howdy, in Outback rustic leather — to be raffled off. I had the honor of sharing the platform with Sgt. Pisey Tan, who shared his experiences as one of the first recipients of a HFOT house.

I won't get too sentimental here but, this Independence Day, I'm proud to belong to a country that understands the importance of honoring and supporting the men and women who have sacrificed so much for our nation. It was a wonderful experience to meet participants from all walks of life and points of view gathered together for a common cause. Wonderful to have the opportunity to spend the morning talking with Sgt. Tan. Wonderful to know that we were raising money and awareness for an important organization.

Chris and I want to thank our friends at CertaPro for organizing this event; their team put a tremendous amount of effort into making this inaugural race a success. Thanks to Homes For Our Troops for taking the initiative to provide direct, meaningful assistance to injured veterans — we're excited to be a part of future events. Thanks to Sgt. Tan not only for his service, but for his continued involvement in supporting his fellow veterans.

Finally, thanks to the hundreds of you who purchased raffle tickets for a chance to win Howdy. (And congrats to raffle winner Lorena Streb!)

Happy Independence Day,
Roger