With just three weeks to go, Illinois performance boaters Mark and Holly Wilken can’t wait for their most favorite event of the year. That’s because on Thursday, June 25, the Wilkens will meet the soldier who they will be hosting for the following day’s Support Our Troops Poker Run on Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks.

Mark and Holly Wilken plan to run their Donzi 38 ZX Daytona in the Support Our Troops Poker Run. Photo courtesy Ed Champion

For the last seven years, the generous group behind MidwestBoatParty.com has organized the fundraising event that benefits H.E.R.O.E.S. Care in Fenton, Mo., and The Global Orphan Project in Parkville, Mo. And the Wilkens, who own a Donzi Marine 38 ZX Daytona powered by twin Mercury Racing 575SCi engines, are one of dozens of participants who make sure to put the event on their schedule every year.

Read more: Midwest Heroes: Join the Support Our Troops Poker Run