Convention President and CEO Maria Cino was joined by Governor Tim Pawlenty, Rep. Michelle Bachman, and Homes for Our Troops founder John Gonsalves on a gloomy day in Woodbury, which was warmed up by the well-wishers, friends, and loved ones of SGT Kuboy.   

According to Cino:   

"Taking care of our men and women in uniform is not a Republican issue. It is not a Democrat issue. It is an American issue. As Sen. McCain often says, every American has a duty to serve a cause greater than one’s self -interest. SGT Kuboy epitomizes selflessness – and we are honored to participate in this project as a small gesture of our appreciation for his honorable service and great sacrifices. We look forward to working on the construction of SGT Kuboy’s home, and to the day we can present the keys.”   

Click on the video to learn more about the event, and click on the links below to see how the local media covered the event:   

• Wounded Robbinsdale vet gets new home (KSTP-TV, with video)
• Wounded vet to get accessible house (Rochester Post-Bulletin)
• Wounded soldier accepts thanks, future home (Saint Paul Pioneer Press, Twincities.com)
• Injured vet will get adapted home in Woodbury (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)

The 2008 Republican National Convention   is joining with Home for Our Troops, the National Journal, and the Credit Union National Association to build a specially-adapted home for this hometown hero.

We can't wait until Monday's groundbreaking and the opportunity to swing some hammers to get SGT Kuboy's home built by September.

We spent the morning picking up everything from cigarette butts to bottles and cans at Minnehaha Park, on the banks of the Mississippi River, in Minneapolis.

We definitely enjoyed the warmer weather but, as you can see from the pictures, we still needed to wear a coat. We hope to enjoy Minnehaha Park as we move toward the summer months, and the 2008 Republican National Convention.

It was an exceptional season for the Northwest Division Champions, and an exceptional season for the staff of the 2008 Republican National Convention  - some of whom watched their first-ever NHL games this season.

It was an exciting series, which mirrored the way the season went for the Wild - who fought hard against evenly-matched rivals to earn their first-ever division crown.

There was a friendly wager on this series, as many of you know. Since the Wild play at the Xcel Energy Center   (site of our convention), and the Avalanche play at the Pepsi Center (site of the Democratic convention), a bet was made between the convention CEOs. Now, our staff will have to send Minnesota Walleye to our friends in Denver (if the Wild had won, we would have received Colorado-raised beef).

We hope our friends in Colorado enjoy the Walleye, but we know it won't be as much as we enjoyed watching the Wild play this season.

Thanks guys!

Sincerely,
Proud members of the Team of 18,000.

P.S.

Here are a couple of Walleye recipes for you:

MINNESOTA WALLEYE AND WILD RICE

SAUTEED WALLEYE WITH SOUR CREAM

The event will be August 29 - September 4 at the Minneapolis Convention Center.  

U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) was joined by Mayors Chris Coleman of St. Paul and R.T. Rybak of Mineapolis in announcing the event.  

Gerard McTernan will produce the event.

The race is on for the Stanley Cup; and this year, the trail to the Cup and the White House go through the Xcel Energy Center, home of the Minnesota Wild and 2008 Republican National Convention.

The first round series for the Wild is against the Colorado Avalanche, who play their games at the Pepsi Center - the location of the Democratic Convention.

Of course, you knew there would be a little friendly wager between the conventions.

Here is the deal: If the Wild wins, our friends in Denver will send Colorado-raised steaks. If the Avs win, we send Minnesota walleyes.

Personally, we're looking forward to having some surf-and-turf, State of Hockey-style.