13th Annual Gala Honors Our Heroes at the NYSE November 25, 2025
It was an evening like no other as Building Homes for Heroes celebrated its 13th annual gala, honoring the heroes we serve and the supporters who make our mission possible. Hosted for the third consecutive year at the New York Stock Exchange, the event paid special tribute to SAIC, one of our organization’s most faithful and enduring partners.
The night featured moving testimonials from several of our heroes, led by Kianni Martinez, daughter of Air Force Lt. Col. Kato Martinez. Kianni shared her family’s journey of loss and resilience after her mother was tragically killed in the 2016 Brussels Airport terrorist attack. Building Homes for Heroes gifted the Martinez family a mortgage free home in San Antonio, Texas only months after the tragedy, and her words served as a powerful reminder of the hope and healing that our mission brings.
SAIC’s current CEO, Jim Reagan, accepted the organization’s award on behalf of the company and spoke with great warmth about SAIC’s long standing commitment to improving the lives of our nation’s heroes. The evening also included live performances, remarks from Building Homes for Heroes Founder and CEO Andy Pujol, and was once again hosted by Liz Claman of Fox Business News, a dedicated champion of our veterans.
We were also proud to be joined by representatives from Lowe’s, Amazon and AWS, the FDNY 343 Ride, and many other valued partners.
This year’s gala came just one week after Building Homes for Heroes and Lowe’s broke ground in Mooresville, North Carolina on Freedom Hill, our organization’s first ever community designed for veterans. The event also celebrated several major milestones on the horizon, including our effort to reach the goal of 50+500+5,000 in 2026: 50 homes gifted, constructed, or modified in a single year; our 500th home by Christmas of next year; and 5,000 heroes supported through all our programs in athletics, academics, emergency funding, financial guidance, team building, and physical and mental wellness.
It was a patriotic evening, a night of gratitude and celebration, and a beautiful tribute to the men and women who have served and sacrificed for our country.
