BrandStar Cares presents the Inaugural Montel Williams Military Makeover Golf & Gala Tournament on November 17 and 18 at Parkland Country Club to support military families and local charities ThankYouFirstResponder.org and ParklandCares.org.

Military Makeover with Montel® America’s Leading Branded Reality TV Show offers hope and a helping hand here on the home front to members of our military and their loved ones. A veteran of both the Marine Corps and the Navy, talk show legend and military advocate Montel Williams creatively co-produces the show along with a colorful cast that seeks to transform the homes and lives of military families across the country. This special series enlists caring companies of all sizes, designers, contractors, landscapers and other home improvement professionals.

The program’s Military Makeover Family airing in February 2020 will be the Hixon Family. U.S. Navy Veteran Chris Hixon sacrificed his life on February 14, 2018, when the athletic director ran into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School’s freshman building to try to save the lives of students by disarming an active shooter. The tragedy, which would see 16 other lives lost, will forever impact Broward County and the MSD Community.

Hixon, a 27-year veteran (5 active, 22 reserve) who served in Desert Storm and Desert Shield, is survived by his wife Debra and their two sons, Thomas and Corey. Debra, also the daughter of a Navy veteran, has been a teacher for 29 years, serving as a Magnet Coordinator at South Broward High School’s Marine Science Maritime Magnet Program.

“He loved being American and serving his country, and he instilled it in his students,” Debra said. Chris Hixon received Military Funeral Honors before he was laid to rest at the ago of 49 at the South Florida VA National Cemetery in Lake Worth on February 21, 2018.

In partnership with major national brands, the Military Makeover team comes prepared with building supplies, designs, furniture, gifts and more. Additionally, volunteers will be invited to participate and lend a hand in support of the Hixon family during the renovation of the home they shared for 28 years.

BrandStar Cares, founded in 2018 by a BrandStar Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer Doug Campbell and Nicole Oropesa, V.P. of Programming, has come together to support local non-profits and go beyond to impact their South Florida community.

The inaugural Montel Williams Military Makeover Celebrity Golf & Gala will benefit military families featured on Military Makeover as well as their nonprofit partners, Thank You First Responder, an organization whose purpose is to raise awareness, support, celebrate, honor and most importantly create a “Culture of Thank You” for all of our Nation’s First Responders, and Parkland Cares, which provides immediate and long-term funding and awareness for mental health counseling for the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting survivors, their families and the community-at-large. Attendees will have the chance to mingle with Montel and celebrities from sports, entertainment and media. To register, visit brandstar.com/events/golfclassic.