Building Homes for Heroes and Advance Auto Parts have announced a donation of $2.1 million, which will be used by Building Homes for Heroes to build or modify homes that will be gifted, mortgage-free, to veterans who were injured during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This significant donation was made possible due to the generosity of Advance Auto Parts and its vendor partners. Advance held its 2016 Vendor Golf Classic on Aug. 22-24 at the historic Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina.

The event, now in its eighth year, has raised millions of dollars for charities. All funds raised at this year’s event, which totaled $2.1 million, benefitted

Building Homes for Heroes. Vendor partners, BBB Industries, manufacturer of CARQUEST starters and alternators and Johnson Controls (JCI), manufacturer of Autocraft Batteries, were major sponsors of Advance’s 2016 Vendor Golf Classic.

“Advance Auto Parts is one of our nation’s most generous sponsors for many of our severely injured veterans,” said Andy Pujol, founder and CEO of Building Homes for Heroes. “I want to thank their team, as well as their vendor partners, for this year’s gift, which will help us achieve our goal to gift as many as one mortgage-free home every 10 days in 2016 and 2017. Together, we are building homes and rebuilding lives.”

“Advance has been a proud supporter of Building Homes for Heroes since 2011,” said Tom Greco, president and CEO of Advance. “Since that time, we are honored to have raised $6.5 million for this noble, patriotic organization that is helping to change the lives of our injured veterans and their families. This year marked another amazing event thanks to our vendors’ generosity.”

At this year’s event, Advance was pleased to welcome United States Marine Corps Sergeant Kirstie Ennis, who spoke at the event on behalf of Building Homes for Heroes. Army Specialist Hugo Gonzalez and Army Sergeant Joel Tavera, both of whom received homes from the organization, also attended the event.

Sgt. Ennis, who was severely injured in Afghanistan and had her left leg amputated in December 2015 due to her injuries, will be gifted a home. At the Advance event, Pujol surprised Ennis by announcing that the land for her home had been purchased. The home will be located in Glennwood Springs, Colorado, where Ennis can continue her snowboarding career and training for the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeonchang, South Korea. Ennis, who had never snowboarded before serving in the Marines, has been ranked as high as fifth in the world in women’s snowboard cross by the International Paralympic Committee.

“The donation from Advance Auto Parts is amazing and will help change the lives of so many injured veterans and their families,” said Ennis. “These homes will rekindle relationships, strengthen families, promote healing and allow independence. We as warriors want nothing more than to push past adversity and continue living a healthy and productive life. Thank you for helping to provide us with that opportunity. Thank you for helping us regain our independence.”