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Grant Highlight: The Warrior’s Journey

As a veterans charity, we here at Tee It Up for the Troops are honored to support groups like The Warrior’s Journey. The Warrior’s Journey works with veterans to build their faith and work towards healthy relationships, family life, and mind. A faith-based organization, the Warrior’s Journey also uses faith and relationships to help equip its members with the tools they need to tackle the problems life throws at them.

The Warrior’s Journey – Helping Warriors since 2016

In 2019, we granted $15,000 to The Warrior’s Journey that they used to further their mission in bringing faith to both active duty and retired military (Warriors). How they achieve this is through their comprehensive website, which is an interactive online resource. This website allows individuals to read articles as well as watch videos about other warriors to understand what they went through and how The Warrior’s Journey helped.

They can also communicate with trained connectors who are there to help Warriors find any help or information they may need about making the next step. Warriors will also be connected with resources, organizations, and ongoing support to ensure they can continue their journey into faith. Warrior’s Journey connectors also work to help Warriors find a local church so they can grow their communal support network.

The Warrior’s Journey Golf Classic – Stay Tuned!

With this partnership, The Warrior’s Journey was able to launch the first annual The Warrior’s Journey Golf classic with Tee It Up for the Troops in 2018. The golf classic raised local awareness of the needs of the military community as well as funds for the faith-based organization. Thankfully, because of the partnership we have with The Warrior’s Journey, we are excited to announce this year’s event: The Warrior’s Journey Golf Classic in partnership with Tee It Up for the Troops- Highland Springs Country Club, Springfield, MO, on October 26, 2020.

The golf classic is a way for people to have fun while remembering the sacrifices our military heroes and their families make every day. This event will start with an amazing ceremony and tribute to our military and the wonderful nation they serve. The day will conclude with an auction to raise money for our remarkable American heroes. Our sponsors, other golfers, and the veterans will all get to partake in an amazing day out on the beautiful greens.

The Warrior’s Journey + Tee It Up for the Troops

The donations received at this event and in general are crucially needed. These funds help combat veterans who are suffering physically, mentally, and emotionally to overcome and persevere through their everyday struggles. Proceeds from this event will also help the Tee It Up for the Troops outreach program “REUNION” which is designed to reunite combat veterans with their comrades from the battlefield.

Whether it’s your friend, acquaintance, or family member, assistance is available from The Warrior’s Journey. This support for our heroes is crucially needed, and we encourage you to come to our events and help raise proceeds for our American heroes and their families.

If you’re not in the area for this fall’s Warrior’s Journey Golf Classic, worry not! Find an event near you today—or consider starting one yourself!

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Caregiver Support: How Tee It Up for the Troops Recognizes Caregivers

Family is an important aspect of any individual’s life, but they are even more important in the lives of veterans. For many veterans, the support that families and caregivers provide are essential for their transition back into civilian life. We at Tee It Up for the Troops strive to create opportunities and find assistance for veterans everywhere.

One pillar we support as an organization is family and caregiver support. Families and caregivers can be some of the best support systems for our veterans. Families and caregivers are heavily relied upon by their wounded veterans, thus they also need support. That’s why Tee It Up for the Troops works to help caregivers and families both through our signature REUNION Program and our charitable fundraising events.

Our REUNION program brings combat veterans who served with each other back together for five days of golfing and other activities. And it’s not just veterans who come to REUNION for this expenses-paid trip—we also invite the veterans’ caregivers. During these days, caregivers are given opportunities to meet with each other and share their own struggles, talk about self-care techniques, and share resources.

Tee It Up for the Troops also raises money throughout the country for charitable organizations that support the Family & Caregiver Support pillar of our mission. Some of these organizations include Blue Star Families and Hope For The Warriors. These organizations help us achieve our goal of assisting military families, wounded veterans and caregiver support systems.

Blue Star Families creates programs for caregivers and members to help make strong families even stronger. They believe caregiver support is important across all parts of military life from enlistment to veteran status. One thing that makes Blue-Star Families unique is that their team consists of military spouses and veterans. They believe having been in the situation helps them better understand and assist other veterans’ needs.

Another wonderful organization we partner with is the Hope For The Warriors. Hope For The Warriors provides programming and support services to caregivers of post-9/11 service members and veterans who have been physically or psychologically wounded due to combat. These caregivers can include: spouses/partners, adult children, parents, significant others, siblings, and friends.

To all the families and caregivers who support our nation’s veterans—THANK YOU! Your work is invaluable, meaningful, and deeply appreciated. Learn more about our REUNION Program and consider working with your vet to apply.

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Grant Recipient SPOTLIGHT: Salute Military Golf Association

ParaGolfer instruction and practice.

We are proud to support organizations like The Salute Military Golf Association (SMGA) who are making a difference in the lives of combat veterans!  Similar to Tee It Up for the Troops, the SMGA aims to meld a love of country and love of golf to support the mental and physical rehabilitation programs of veterans. The SMGA’s mission is to provide rehabilitative golf programs, experiences, and family-inclusive golf opportunities for post 9/11 wounded war veterans to help improve the quality of life for these American heroes. Eligible veterans and service members include those wounded or injured in post 9/11 military operations, including those with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and/or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

Tee It Up for the Troops has granted over $100,000 to SMGA to help wounded veterans with their rehabilitation and transition to civilian life by providing golf instruction and golf equipment. Tee It Up for the Troops’ donations to SMGA have been put to good use in the purchase of custom-fitted golf clubs, specialized equipment such as ParaGolfers, and to expand programming beyond their 20 locations. In 2019-2020, SMGA programs will expand to Myrtle Beach, SC; Albany, OR; and Jacksonville, FL.   

Golf instruction at SMGA’s Olney, MD, Flagship Chapter.

“The partnership we share with Tee It Up for the Troops is the SMGA’s longest and dates back to a shared booth at the 2008 PGA Merchandise Show,” said James Winslow, Co-Founder/President, SMGA. “The SMGA could have never expanded beyond its single, original chapter and a handful of veterans without the dedicated support we’ve received from Tee It Up for the Troops over the years. That support has allowed the SMGA to provide programming to more than 3000 veterans and offer more than 2000 post-9/11 veterans custom-fitted golf equipment at no cost.”   

Tee It Up for the Troops recent 2019 grant will be used primarily to support the SMGA American Golfer Program. The American Golfer program affords participation in SMGA to wounded veterans who are not located within proximity to one of the clinic locations and matches post-9/11 wounded warriors with PGA of America professionals familiar with teaching adaptive golf. Through American Golfer, SMGA offers a series of private golf lessons covering all aspects of the game of golf. SMGA provides a custom-fitted set of clubs to any veteran who completes the program.

BETHESDA, MD – JUNE 26: Wounded Warrior Chris Bowers hits a shot on the 17th fairway during the Pro-Am round for the AT&T National at Congressional Country Club on June 26, 2013 in Bethesda, Maryland. (Photo by Stan Badz/PGA TOUR)

Our grant partner, SMGA, also understands the unique needs of veterans returning home from service and have also witnessed first-hand the powerful benefits the game of golf can provide in improving the quality of life of wounded servicemen and women. Thank you SMGA for a great partnership and all you do for our veterans and their families! Together we are making a difference in the lives of combat veterans!