Homes For Our Troops (HFOT) raised over $450,000 during its 5th Annual Veterans Day Celebrity Auction on eBay from Nov. 4-14, 2021. Jake Tapper, George Clooney, Wynonna Judd, Don Cheadle, and Mindy Kaling, headlined the event to support HFOT. In partnership with eBay for Charity, participants bid on personal Zoom experiences, set visits, luxury items, and autographed memorabilia from various movie stars, musicians, and sports figures, while helping HFOT’s mission of building and donating specially adapted custom homes for severely injured post-9/11 Veterans, enabling them to rebuild their lives.
CNN’s Jake Tapper, a longtime HFOT supporter and mission ambassador, enlisted the help of friends, namely movie stars and entertainment icons, to arrange an extensive assortment of auction items. There was tremendous support from over 140 celebrities donating items with over 8,500 bids placed. Tapper’s fellow Celebrity Auction co-host and actor George Clooney, generously donated his OMEGA Speedmaster 50th Anniversary Silver Snoopy Award Watch to auction off which was the highest bid item at $34,081.99. The second-highest bid was $15,000.00 for two VIP tickets and a meet and greet to the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. “HFOT is an extraordinary organization that provides injured Veterans with the life-changing gift of an adapted home, and I am glad I was able to help this worthy cause through the Celebrity Auction.” – Stephen Colbert
“I cannot thank enough all the generous participants who donated time and items to this year’s auction, from the biggest stars of Hollywood to pro sports teams to authors to journalists including my CNN colleagues — thank you! Even though the pandemic has prevented so many in-person offers, the creativity and generosity of so many folks helped us raise more this year than ever before. Those offering items, and those bidding on them, came together once again to send a clear message to our Veterans: we care about you, we owe you, and we love you.” – Jake Tapper.
We are immensely grateful for all the celebrities, sports figures, authors and talent that gave their time and effort to make our fifth annual celebrity auction with Jake Tapper and his team such a huge success by raising over $450,000.00,” says HFOT President & CEO Tom Landwermeyer. “It is paramount that severely injured post-9/11 Veterans have specially adapted custom homes where they can safeguard themselves and their families and continue to rebuild their lives. Their generous donations, coupled with the support of bidders and those who shared in outreach, helps ensure that can happen.”
The amount raised will go toward building more specially adapted custom homes for deserving Veterans across the country. Since its inception in 2004, HFOT has built and donated 322 homes in 42 states and has over 75 builds underway nationwide.