The Long Island Board of REALTORS® (LIBOR) was honored to be a part of the emotional and celebratory presentation of the first Fairway Foundation Veteran House Giveaway, to a deserving veteran and his family.  

Kevin Palacios, a 30-year-old Marine who was twice injured in Afghanistan, was overwhelmed with emotions when it was announced that he was the new owner of the fully furnished mortgage-free home on Long Island.

The reveal came as a surprise at the end of a special seminar focused on educating REATORS® on the needs of our veteran community, hosted by LIBOR and Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp. on June 25, 2019 at Brookhaven Town Hall.

The Fairway Foundation, led selflessly by Steve Probst and Rosemarie Kluepfel spent five years raising $200,000 to make this dream come true. Beginning with the launch of the Purple Heart campaign, which helped increase awareness of the obstacles our veterans face when returning to civilian life; the Foundation raised enough funds to purchase a distressed 3-bedroom home in Brookhaven.

Sponsorships and funds raised by LIBOR, the Interior Design Society LI Chapter and National Association of the Remodeling Industry NYC/LI, contributed to the costs of completely renovating and fully furnishing and decorating the home.  This is a culmination of countless hours of dedicated volunteers working together.

Palacios, a single father who works in security logistics, was selected out of two dozen applicants, all Purple Heart veterans who have served post 9/11/01.

Long Island has the highest concentration of veterans in New York State and the second largest in the nation. This is just a start for the foundation, they plan on working continuously to help other local veterans receive the help they need and to make their dream of homeownership become a reality.

“We are making the difference in one person’s life. And if everybody makes a difference in one person’s life, imagine what the world would be like?” said Steve Probst of Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp.

LIBOR is proud to our support for our local veteran community by assisting the Fairway Foundation in their mission to create housing opportunities for veterans and their families.

This sponsorship was made though the Long Island Board of REALTORS® “We’re More than REALTORS® campaign, which supports numerous programs and charitable community organizations.