A backyard barbecue in 2012 at the Frankfort home of Jim and Gayla Smith yielded a surprising $2,000 for disabled veterans, Gayla Smith said.
Smith said after she heard about Building for America’s Bravest, a program that brought the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation and the Gary Sinise Foundation together to build “smart homes” for “severely, catastrophically injured vets,” the Smiths decided to make a donation to the organization. Then Gayla Smith said she thought family and friends might join their efforts at a backyard get-together.
“I said, ‘I’ll just throw a bucket out there and ask everyone to put in $20, and we’ll send a larger donation to them to build these homes,'” Smith said.
The success of the first event left Smith wanting to do more. That December, she founded the nonprofit Midwest BBQ for the Brave, Inc. and began planning future events timed to commemorate 9/11, she said.
“It just kept growing every year and getting bigger and bigger,” Smith said. “I would say it probably doubled every year.”
The event has outgrown the Smiths’ backyard, but Frankfort residents Chuck JaBaay and Dean Vaundry, owners of the entertainment venue CD & ME, donated their facility for the ultimate barbecue, Smith said.
The fourth annual Midwest BBQ for the Brave is set for 6 to 11 p.m. Sept. 10 at CD & ME, 23320 S. LaGrange Road, Frankfort. General admission tickets are $20 and include a Famous Dave’s pulled pork sandwich and chips. A cash bar will be available in the pole barn, and raffle items will be on display.
VIP dinner tent tickets are $100 and include a dinner catered by Scrementi’s Restaurant and an open bar from 6:30 to 8 p.m. There will be special entertainment in the VIP tent, Smith said.
The band ARRA will perform classic rock for all guests from 8 to 11 p.m.
Smith said $1 raffle tickets will be sold for prizes that include a Bass Pro Shops $500 gift certificate, a Kluger Furs donation of his and her coats, James & Sons’ 14 karat gold jewelry, $1,000 in gift cards from Meijer stores, a grill from The Home Depot, two travel packages from Paul Klein Travel, and four White Sox tickets behind home plate, among other prizes.
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The event will raise money to build a smart home for U.S. Marine Cpl. Larry Bailey, of Zion. In 2011, Bailey knelt on an improvised explosive device while repelling an assault in Afghanistan with fellow Marines. One Marine was killed. Bailey lost both legs above the knee and his left hand and later received a Purple Heart, according to Building for America’s Bravest.
Smith said when she heard his story, her “heart really was called to help him and his wife get a home built.”
Smith said it’s something she is “committed to getting done.”
“When you hear the stories of these vets who have lost multiple limbs, then you realize how difficult life is for them just to go to the bathroom and take a shower and get into bed,” Smith said.
The smart homes cost about $500,000 to build, she said. They are designed to accommodate veterans with limited mobility in a variety of ways, including adjustable cabinetry, wide doorways, special bathroom fixtures, and iPads to control the heat and air conditioning in the home, according to www.ourbravest.org.
Smith said Bailey and his wife Desiree will attend the Sept. 10 event. They are expecting their first child and are living in Virginia while Bailey undergoes daily therapy at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
For information about Midwest BBQ for the Brave, visit MidwestBBQ.org. For information about Building for America’s Bravest, visit ourbravest.org. For information about CD & ME, visit cdandme.com.
Ginger Brashinger is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.