Pull the Cork wine event raises $500,000 to benefit Lee BIA Builders Care
Pull the Cork, an intimate evening of wine and giving, raised more than $500,000 in monetary and in-kind support to benefit Lee BIA Builders Care and its mission to provide life-changing emergency home repairs for local families in need.
An exclusive event held on Nov. 15 at The Forest Country Club in Fort Myers, Pull the Cork brought the “best of the best” boutique wines and gourmet cuisine. Heath Porter, a 5-star sommelier and proprietor and president of Heathen Wine Tours, poured wines from a curated selection of renowned vintners. The tasting was artfully paired with a four-course menu by Chef Drew Tait of The Forest Country Club, followed by a live auction with a selection of rare magnum wines.
A highlight of the evening included a spotlight on Dunbar resident and U.S. Marine Corps veteran Lewis Freeman, who will soon receive a new two-bedroom, two-bath home on a lot in Dunbar that has been donated to Builders Care by the city of Fort Myers. During the event, Pulte Homes stepped forward with a transformational commitment to cover the full cost of building the new home. Generous donations also poured in from local businesses to support the project, including a site survey from Morris-Depew Associates, concrete for the foundation from Drake Ready Mix, home furnishings from Dwayne Bergmann Interiors, cabinets and millwork from Alessio Companies, and even a backyard pool donated by Suncoast Custom Pools. Together, these contributions bring the value of support for the project to more than $500,000, ensuring Freeman will have a safe, comfortable place to call home.
Freeman, 71, was born and raised in Fort Myers’ Dunbar neighborhood. His only time away from home was the four years he spent in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. After an honorable discharge, he returned to Dunbar to continue serving his community and his family, where he is now a proud father of three and grandfather of four.
After suffering a stroke in 2015, Freeman was unable to continue working and has since lived on a fixed income. Despite his disability, he remains a dedicated volunteer with American Legion Post 192, supports the Mt. Olive A.M.E. Church food pantry, and serves as an usher during church services. When his rental home was sold unexpectedly, he moved in with his niece – but he yearns to have his own home again. His fixed income would never allow him to achieve that dream without the help of Builders Care and generous local partners and donors.
“The spirit of generosity was overflowing at this year’s Pull the Cork, and we are incredibly grateful to Pulte Homes and all the businesses and donors who gave selflessly to help us provide the life-changing gift of a new home to Lewis Freeman,” said Leigh Cloud, executive director of Lee BIA Builders Care. “In this home, Lewis will benefit from ADA accessibility, privacy and the freedom he needs while remaining close to his family, lifelong friends and the institutions that are blessed by his volunteerism.”
Pull the Cork is presented by LSI Companies. Additional sponsors include Retland Holdings, Alessio Companies, Busey Bank, Cameratta Companies, Christopher Alan Homes, Daniel R. and Anne M. Harper Foundation, ERA Lahaina Realty, Morris-Depew Associates, Owen-Ames-Kimball Co., Pavese Law Firm, Priority Marketing, Pulte Homes, Rist Family Foundation, the Seitz family and Stevens Construction.
Proceeds from the event support Lee BIA Builders Care, the nonprofit charitable arm of the Lee Building Industry Association (BIA), in its mission of providing emergency construction services at no cost to needy and deserving elderly and/or disabled homeowners, and their families, who cannot obtain repairs through traditional means. Celebrating 20 years of impact, Lee BIA Builders Care has helped more than 500 Lee County households and provided over $5 million in emergency construction services and materials at no cost to families and local homeowners in need.
To learn more about Builders Care and its mission, visit LeeBuildersCare.com.
About Lee BIA Builders Care
The mission of Lee BIA Builders Care is to provide emergency construction services at no cost to needy and deserving elderly and/or disabled homeowners, and their families, who cannot obtain repairs through traditional means. Lee BIA Builders Care offers a full range of no-cost emergency construction services to improve the safety and health for needy seniors and disabled individuals of all ages by enlisting the expertise and donated services and materials of contractors, sub-contractors and businesses. To date, Lee BIA Builders Care has put more than $5 million in construction services back into the community at no cost to homeowners in need. Builders Care is funded through financial donations, grants and donated services and materials to provide emergency construction services to qualified homeowners throughout the community. Lee BIA Builders Care is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization under the charitable arm of the Lee Building Industry Association. Lee BIA Builders Care is headquartered at 6835 International Center Blvd. #4 in Fort Myers. Donations can be made online at LeeBuildersCare.org. More information is available by calling 239-938-0056, and by following Builders Care on Facebook.