Montel Williams show to redo home of Parkland shooting victim’s widow
Debra Hixon’s Hollywood home was chosen for a makeover by the television show “Military Makeover with Montel Williams.” Hixon is the widow of Chris Hixon, athletic director and wrestling coach at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and 27-year Navy veteran who was killed Feb. 14, 2018 during a mass shooting at the school.
“It’s unbelievable and overwhelming. I was doing an awards ceremony for our summer program, [and Montel Williams walked in]. I thought he was a parent, and all of a sudden it hit me who he was, and I started crying,” said Hixon, who is the South Broward High School magnet coordinator.
To help raise money for more military families to receive home makeovers like Hixon, BrandStar CARES, which produces the show, is hosting an Inaugural Montel Williams Military Makeover Celebrity Golf Classic & Gala on Nov. 17 and 18 at Parkland Golf & Country Club.
In addition to raising funds so military families can get home makeovers, two local nonprofit organizations, Thank You First Responder and Parkland Cares, will also be receiving some of the proceeds, according to Doug Campbell, Chief Revenue Officer of BrandStar CARES.
“We do these makeovers all over the country and decided to do this one in our own backyard. We felt we needed to give back, and the show will air on the second anniversary of the tragedy on Feb. 14,” he said.
Renovations to Hixon’s home will include making the kitchen bigger as well as redoing it with new cabinets and countertops. The backyard will also be redone.
“We finished building a bar out of recycled pallets in January 2018, so we wanted to do something to use the bar as a focal point. We have lots of parties, not so much in last 20 months, but we like to do a lot of entertaining, so it will be conducive for parties with more sitting areas,” Hixon said.
The episode is expected to air on Lifetime in February. Visit militarymakeover.tv to watch other episodes.
For the Celebrity Golf Classic and Gala, celebrities such as former NFL player Lawrence Taylor; Chicago Cubs player and MSD alumnus Anthony Rizzo as well as other NFL, NBA and NHL stars will be participating. Top military officers, World War II veterans and Purple Heart recipients will also be there, Campbell said.
“It’s our way of honoring our vets, their families and their service. It’s a great opportunity to do that and also raise awareness with helping with mental illness. That’s what both Parkland Cares and Thank You First Responder both support,” he said.
Parkland Cares, a nonprofit whose mission is to provide immediate and long-term funding and awareness for mental health counseling for Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting survivors, their families and the community-at-large is honored to be part of the inaugural event, said Stacey Udine, Parkland Cares executive director.
“We are honored to be chosen alongside Thank You First Responder. We can’t wait to help and be a part of something that is so extraordinary,” she said.
“We are an organization that is in it for the long term and that [post-traumatic stress disorder] is something that needs to be tackled; it can hit at any time. We need the donor dollars to be able to provide the services at any time it’s needed,” said Udine, who said the proceeds from the event will be used toward grants for mental health counseling.
Thank You First Responder raises awareness, supports, celebrates, honors and creates a “culture of thank you” for all first responders. It also partners with MentalHealthFirstAid.org to offer mental health first aid training.
With the event’s proceeds, Thank You First Responder will use the money toward an eight-hour Mental Health First Aid program, in which it has been partnering with the Broward Sheriff’s Office, said Stan Smith, co-founder and board member of Thank You First Responder.
The program teaches police officers, firefighters, EMS personnel and other first responders how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness and substance abuse disorders.
“We encourage the community, Broward and South Florida to come out and attend the gala and support and join in the effort. The show really changes the lives of deserving military families,” Smith said.
Tickets are open to the public for both the golf tournament and gala. For information or to register for the event, visit brand star.com/events/golfclassic/.