Indian American led charity foundation donates $500,000 house to Long Island marine

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New York-based Bolla Charity Foundation, led by  Harry Singh, donated a home to veteran Lance Cpl. Billy Ventura, Oct. 2, 2020. Singh CEO and founder of Bolla charity foundation and Bolla Oil Corp. helped Ventura, 29, in cutting the red ribbon to the latter’s new $500,000 home, reported Newsday.

The 2,030-square-foot home in Selden has been built to accommodate the Marine who was left paralyzed from the waste down following a hit-and-run.

“I would like to thank the Singh family and the Bolla foundation for making this home possible for me. I would also like to thank the builders who built this beautiful home,” Ventura can be seen giving a tearful speech in a video posted by Newsday. Ventura’s new home on Dare Road is a three-bedroom home with an open-floor design.

In July 2013, Ventura, a resident of Long Island, NY, then a Marine Corps reservist, was driving his father’s 2007 Suzuki motorcycle on Middle Country Road in Selden when he clipped a car stopped in front of him. He fell to the road and was run over while the motorcycle lay on top of him. The driver who hit him fled, and the incident left Ventura partially paralyzed.

Bolla Charity Foundation is a nonprofit founded by Singh and his wife, Kamiljit. Harry Singh is the founder and president of Bolla Oil Corp., which operates more than 45 gas stations on Long Island and 100 though out the metro area, officials told Newsday.

The property was donated by Suffolk County and the Town of Brookhaven. The Bolla Foundation razed a dilapidated home on the property and built Ventura’s house with amenities including stainless-steel appliances, a large master bedroom, and a roll-in shower, officials told Newsday.

Ventura was presented the keys to his new house in a press conference. Singh told Newsday that the veteran will never have to pay a mortgage. Ventura’s electric bills, reduced by solar panels, are also taken care of, Singh said.

Ventura’s parents, William Ventura Sr. and Cynthia, were also present during the ribbon cutting.

“This home gives me the opportunity to continue to grow independently and experience living on my own,” the veteran told Newsday. “This home will now make everyday tasks that were once easy — easy again.”