Barbecue Benefit Raises Over $70,000 for Families of Officers Kocab and Curtis

The employees of Central Florida homebuilder, Highland Homes reached out this past weekend to volunteer at a fundraiser benefiting the families of fallen Tampa police officers, Jeff Kocab and Dave Curtis.

The barbeque fundraiser was held on Saturday, July 17th, at Kathleen Middle School in Lakeland. 15 competitive barbecue teams put aside their rivalry and endured the Florida summer heat to cook nearly 3,000 slabs of ribs which were sold for $20 each.  Desserts were donated for sale, event t-shirts sold throughout the day, and the silent auction offered treats such as Tampa Bay Rays box seats and a dinner party hosted by the Texas Cattle Company.

Highland Homes was on hand to offer Drinks for Donations and raised almost $1,000 from water and soda sales.  Meanwhile, Highland Homes’ employees Charlie Laughon, David McMillan, and Jeff Shenefield were grilling with their barbecue team, Fatt Ashes BBQ, and Project Manager Tim Parker was DJ-ing inside the Cafeteria, where ABC Action News and other volunteers were selling and distributing the pork ribs.

Organizers of the event were hoping to make around $30,000, but at the end of the day, the fundraiser exceeded all expectations and netted over $70,000!  It was an honor for Highland Homes to participate at this fundraiser and help raise money for the families of our local heroes.  Thank You to all the companies and individuals who donated supplies and time, and to all the attendees for coming out, enjoying some great barbecue, and helping out the Kocab and Curtis families.

To find out about more upcoming fundraisers and ways to donate, visit ABC Action News.