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The Longest Day of Golf

Jeff Locke and Derek Goodridge

On June 19, 2015, fun was had, clubs were swung, and friendships were formed. Golfers across the  country participated in the 2nd annual golf fundraising event called “Longest Day of Golf for the Troops”. The participants teed off at the crack oVincent Mooref dawn and played until the sun went down. The largest gathering of golfers was at Bunker Hills Golf Club in Coon Rapids, MN. This location had twenty golfers participate, with an estimated 1,250 holes played with one single golfer playing 100 holes! Vincent Moore, golfing in Baltimore, Maryland, participated in the event as well. Moore completed 54 holes, and raised almost $1,500 for veterans.

This event was inspired by the book and movie, “The Longest Day,” honoring those who fought for our freedom on D-Day in Normandy (June 6, 1944). The Longest Day of Golf for the Troops is played on a single day over the Summer Solstice, which is the longest weekend of the year.

Among the participants were veterans Tim Ngo, Derek Goodridge, Neil Tollefsrud, Randy McCallum, and Vincent Moore. Jeff Locke, MN Vikings punter, also participated in the event saying, “Both my father and grandfather served in the military and I have a great appreciation for the sacrifices that all of our veterans and their families have made for our country… I hope to raise as much money as I can for this event to continue giving back and JB and Tim Ngosupporting veterans here in Minnesota and across the country.” Thanks to the hard work and fundraising efforts of the participants, $23,568 was raised for Tee It Up for the Troops and our partner charitable organizations serving the needs of fallen and disabled veterans and their families. A huge thank you to all those who participated and for your efforts in making this event a huge success in support of America’s veterans!

 

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Tee It Up for the Troops Donates EZ GO Golf Cart to Walter Reed Medical Center

Cart Donation Walter Reed 2015
Through a generous partnership with Textron Specialized Vehicles, Tee It Up for the Troops recently donated a street ready six passenger EZ GO golf cart for the Adaptive Sports and Recreation program at the Military Advance Training Center at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) in Bethesda. 
The golf cart will allow the rehabilitation staff to meet increased demands for transport of returning service members with disabilities to the various athletic facilities located on base for treatment. 
Disabled service members will also have increased access to base resources which will provide for additional opportunities for independent exploration of adaptive sports and recreation, stimulating patient mental and physical capabilities in hopes that they utilize their experiences when transitioning back into their communities.
Cart Donation Walter Reed 2015-2
COL Matthew St Laurent, Chief, Occupational Therapy, Department of Rehabilitation expressed his appreciation of this donation stating, “As usual, TEE IT UP FOR THE TROOPS has provided us with remarkable support and we cannot thank you enough on behalf of our staff and patients, their families, and our rehab mission …Thank you for your ongoing support of our Warrior Rehab mission.”
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Tee It Up for the Troops® selects first Operation HeartFirst™ recipients.

Hannah and Tristan Ambrozewski

Tee It Up for the Troops, a national non-profit organization, has selected the first recipients of a grant designed to help military veterans open their own gyms and provide additional employment opportunities for fellow veterans.

Hannah and Tristan Ambrozewski, both of whom served in Iraq, will use a $125,000 grant and an additional $125,000 loan as start-up capital to open an Anytime Fitness gym near Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, NC.  The Ambrozewski’s, who signed a franchise agreement at the Anytime Fitness corporate headquarters in Hastings, MN this morning (August 5th), hope to open their gym in early 2016.

“We’re incredibly excited to help veterans and non-veteran alike in our community learn how to lead healthier lifestyles,” said Hannah Ambrozewski, who served as an intelligence analyst with the U.S. Army from 2005 to 2012.

Hannah and Tristan Abrowzewski 2

“We also love the idea of being able to provide jobs to other military veterans,” said Tristan Ambrozewski, who likewise served as an intelligence analyst in the Army, and now performs similar duties as a Department of Defense (DOD) contractor.

Anytime Fitness’ Heartfirst Charitable Foundation provided a grant to Tee It Up for the Troops, which then selected the Ambrozewski’s as recipients from a pool of dozens of outstanding candidates.

“Operation Heartfirst™ is our way of saying thank you to all of the fine service men and women who’ve made tremendous sacrifices for our country,” said Dave Mortensen, President of Anytime Fitness, LLC.  “We couldn’t be happier with the selection of the Ambrozewski’s as the first recipients.  They each have a long history of advocating physical fitness and serving not only their countries, but others in their community as well.

SELECTION CRITERIA

“We were looking for candidates with distinguished records of military service, who are eager to help others lead healthier lifestyles and who continue to serve and support the U.S. military and its veterans,” said Tim Wegscheid, President of Tee It Up for the Troops.  “We also looked for candidates with a passion for fitness and community engagement.  The Ambrozewski’s fit that description exactly.”

Anytime Fitness, LLC has agreed to waive its initial franchise fee and ongoing royalty payments related to this opportunity.

“The unemployment rate for military veterans is significantly higher than the national average,” said Chuck Runyon, CEO of Anytime Fitness, LLC.  “That’s just not right.  Our hope is that Operation Heartfirst™ will not only help veterans operate their own businesses, but also provide jobs for other vets as club managers and personal trainers – for many years to come.”

Congrats Hannah and Tristan!

Ambrozewski family

Posted on

Tee It Up for the Troops® selects first Operation HeartFirst™ recipients.

Hannah and Tristan Ambrozewski

Tee It Up for the Troops, a national non-profit organization, has selected the first recipients of a grant designed to help military veterans open their own gyms and provide additional employment opportunities for fellow veterans.

Hannah and Tristan Ambrozewski, both of whom served in Iraq, will use a $125,000 grant and an additional $125,000 loan as start-up capital to open an Anytime Fitness gym near Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, NC.  The Ambrozewski’s, who signed a franchise agreement at the Anytime Fitness corporate headquarters in Hastings, MN this morning (August 5th), hope to open their gym in early 2016.

“We’re incredibly excited to help veterans and non-veteran alike in our community learn how to lead healthier lifestyles,” said Hannah Ambrozewski, who served as an intelligence analyst with the U.S. Army from 2005 to 2012.

Hannah and Tristan Abrowzewski 2

“We also love the idea of being able to provide jobs to other military veterans,” said Tristan Ambrozewski, who likewise served as an intelligence analyst in the Army, and now performs similar duties as a Department of Defense (DOD) contractor.

Anytime Fitness’ Heartfirst Charitable Foundation provided a grant to Tee It Up for the Troops, which then selected the Ambrozewski’s as recipients from a pool of dozens of outstanding candidates.

“Operation Heartfirst™ is our way of saying thank you to all of the fine service men and women who’ve made tremendous sacrifices for our country,” said Dave Mortensen, President of Anytime Fitness, LLC.  “We couldn’t be happier with the selection of the Ambrozewski’s as the first recipients.  They each have a long history of advocating physical fitness and serving not only their countries, but others in their community as well.

SELECTION CRITERIA

“We were looking for candidates with distinguished records of military service, who are eager to help others lead healthier lifestyles and who continue to serve and support the U.S. military and its veterans,” said Tim Wegscheid, President of Tee It Up for the Troops.  “We also looked for candidates with a passion for fitness and community engagement.  The Ambrozewski’s fit that description exactly.”

Anytime Fitness, LLC has agreed to waive its initial franchise fee and ongoing royalty payments related to this opportunity.

“The unemployment rate for military veterans is significantly higher than the national average,” said Chuck Runyon, CEO of Anytime Fitness, LLC.  “That’s just not right.  Our hope is that Operation Heartfirst™ will not only help veterans operate their own businesses, but also provide jobs for other vets as club managers and personal trainers – for many years to come.”

Congrats Hannah and Tristan!

Ambrozewski family

Posted on

Tee It Up for the Troops® selects first Operation HeartFirst™ recipients.

Hannah and Tristan Ambrozewski

Tee It Up for the Troops, a national non-profit organization, has selected the first recipients of a grant designed to help military veterans open their own gyms and provide additional employment opportunities for fellow veterans.

Hannah and Tristan Ambrozewski, both of whom served in Iraq, will use a $125,000 grant and an additional $125,000 loan as start-up capital to open an Anytime Fitness gym near Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, NC.  The Ambrozewski’s, who signed a franchise agreement at the Anytime Fitness corporate headquarters in Hastings, MN this morning (August 5th), hope to open their gym in early 2016.

“We’re incredibly excited to help veterans and non-veteran alike in our community learn how to lead healthier lifestyles,” said Hannah Ambrozewski, who served as an intelligence analyst with the U.S. Army from 2005 to 2012.

Hannah and Tristan Abrowzewski 2

“We also love the idea of being able to provide jobs to other military veterans,” said Tristan Ambrozewski, who likewise served as an intelligence analyst in the Army, and now performs similar duties as a Department of Defense (DOD) contractor.

Anytime Fitness’ Heartfirst Charitable Foundation provided a grant to Tee It Up for the Troops, which then selected the Ambrozewski’s as recipients from a pool of dozens of outstanding candidates.

“Operation Heartfirst™ is our way of saying thank you to all of the fine service men and women who’ve made tremendous sacrifices for our country,” said Dave Mortensen, President of Anytime Fitness, LLC.  “We couldn’t be happier with the selection of the Ambrozewski’s as the first recipients.  They each have a long history of advocating physical fitness and serving not only their countries, but others in their community as well.

SELECTION CRITERIA

“We were looking for candidates with distinguished records of military service, who are eager to help others lead healthier lifestyles and who continue to serve and support the U.S. military and its veterans,” said Tim Wegscheid, President of Tee It Up for the Troops.  “We also looked for candidates with a passion for fitness and community engagement.  The Ambrozewski’s fit that description exactly.”

Anytime Fitness, LLC has agreed to waive its initial franchise fee and ongoing royalty payments related to this opportunity.

“The unemployment rate for military veterans is significantly higher than the national average,” said Chuck Runyon, CEO of Anytime Fitness, LLC.  “That’s just not right.  Our hope is that Operation Heartfirst™ will not only help veterans operate their own businesses, but also provide jobs for other vets as club managers and personal trainers – for many years to come.”

Congrats Hannah and Tristan!

Ambrozewski family