It was a busy weekend at Patriot Point as Bravo Zulu Outdoors hosted a group of veterans and retired fire fighters who – in concert with the Home Builders Care Foundation and a grant from 3M — led the rebuilding of our dock, which would have been a $15,000 retail cost!

Special thanks to our partners at the HBCF, which is the nonprofit arm of the Maryland Building Industry Association!

Builders First Source, an MBIA member that is one of the nation’s largest suppliers of structural building products, supplies and services, donated $2,000 through the HBCF for materials. HBCF donated more than $1,000 for the balance of the framing lumber from Builders First Source and coordinated the material delivery. Thanks also to Toby Vance, general manager of Builders First Source, Atlantic Group.

“I feel safe to speak for everyone, when I say that Patriot Point has become a home away from home for all of our group,” Bravo Zulu Outdoors Executive Director Karl Schwartz said. “The opportunity to help pay back some for Patriot Point has provided to us is all we need. We look forward to the next chance to give back when we are out there.”

Among the Bravo Zulu Outdoors group were Joe Akaki, Kimmy McDermott, Randy Nieves, Ralph Perpignan, Bill Schulze, Tammie Pasterak, Keith Bullock, Matt Bullock and Tim Jackson. “I would also like to thank Millie Smith, Tammie Pasterak, Martha Gruica and Bill Schulze for feeding everyone and their cost and sweat equity,” Schwartz said.

“We had two volunteers that showed up early to help [Patriot Point property manager Tim Mitchell] and [volunteer] Mike [Mattingly] work on the pier,” Schwartz said. “Most of the group except for one had been with us to Patriot Point before, even if it had been a few years. … On Saturday, the group split time on working on a set of cornhole boards for us to raffle off as a fundraiser, a large group worked on the pier and some of us relaxed or explored the grounds. Working projects that give back to Patriot Point is something we were looking forward to. It is important to many of our recovering vets, to give back and be of service. It gives them a sense of purpose that they have lost since leaving the military. Our recent visits to Patriot Point … have allowed our folks to keep up the bonds we have formed over the years and gives everyone a weekend away from our normal pace of life.”