Mr and Mrs. Jared Agnetti with Ashley Judd
For the third year in a row, the State Government Affairs Council (SGAC) Foundation partnered with Tee It Up for the Troops, making a generous donation to our organization!
Wounded warrior Jared Agnetti and Tee It Up for the Troops president, Tim Wegscheid, were honored to speak at the conference, along with Hollywood actress Ashley Judd. Ms. Judd even purchased a Tee It Up for the Troops golf bag to show her support!
From Alaska to Illinois to California, 9 different golf courses and countless volunteers will host 9 different Tee It Up for the Troops golf events this August! Approximately 1600 sponsors will “step up to the tee” and join us in helping wounded veterans and their families to transition, grow, thrive and live.
At Tee It Up for the Troops, we believe in engaging communities through inspirational golf events to do great things on behalf of America’s military heroes.
We hope you will Join Us at one of our events this year! The needs of our veterans are greater than ever ~ Together, we make a difference!
Tee It Up for the Troops is highlighted in the June edition of Tee Times Magazine. The article describes the fund raising activity performed by Tee It Up for the Troops for both national and local organizations who assist wounded, ill and injured warriors, along with their families, to make the transition to civilian life where they can grow and thrive. The focus of the article is on Freedom Station and Warrior Foundation that provide temporary housing and support to veterans and their families. Click here to view the article from Tee Times Magazine.
Thank you for supporting our wounded and disabled veterans and their families during the “Longest Day of Golf for the Troops” on June 20.
“The Longest Day” was a famous book and movie (starring John Wayne) honoring those who fought for our freedom on D-Day (June 6, 1944). On Friday, June 20 (the longest day of the year), Bunker Hills Golf Club is hosting the Inaugural Longest Day of Golf for the Troops.
Up to twenty golfers will be Teeing It Up for the Troops at the crack of dawn, and playing until sundown to raise money for Tee It Up for the Troops and their partner charitable organizations serving the needs of fallen and disabled veterans and their families.
Jeff Locke, MN Vikings punter, who will be participating in the event said “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. Last year, I was fortunate to have Josh Freeman donate $10,000 to the Minneapolis VA Medical Center as part of our deal to let him wear my jersey #12.
“This year, I hope to raise as much money as I can for this event to continue giving back and supporting veterans here in Minnesota and across the country.”
Chris Dernick is passionate about maintaining the traditions of golf, this explains her commitment to the AJGA and the CB&I Boys Championship at Carlton Woods. Through the tournament, Dernick is also able to help out another group of people she loves, the Troops.
“One of the biggest things I have grown to appreciate is the opportunity we have to give back to the Troops. It is about the opportunity to show our appreciation for the sacrifices that they make,” Dernick said through tears. “I think it’s really important for us to provide those opportunities to our youth to realize the sacrifices people are making for them.”
We are grateful that Dernick has chosen to fulfill that passion for the Troops by working with PING and the AJGA to donate the golf bags used at the event to Tee it up for the Troops!
Reunion 2014 is featured on pages 30-31 of the magazine. What a fabulous reminder of how impactful Reunion 2014 was. Thank you to our Reunion supporters!
Click here to access the article.
Meet Staff Sgt. Patrick Ziegler, a Fort Hood massacre survivor. Patrick was just moments away from being cleared to attend Officer Candidate School when he was shot in the head, shoulder, arm and hip.
November 5, 2009 was destined to change – forever – the lives of SSgt. Patrick Zeigler and Jessica Hansen. But not in the way they had planned! SSgt. Zeigler had just returned from his second combat deployment in Iraq and had returned 3 weeks ahead of his unit because he was set to begin Officer’s Candidate School. Later that fateful day he would receive his final Army enlisted separation clearance to leave Fort Hood, TX to head to Fort Benning, GA to begin school to become an Officer.
Then It Happened!
In a hailstorm of bullets, Nidal Malik Hasan, Army Major and psychiatrist turned radical Muslim terrorist, opened fire – killing 13 people and an unborn child as well as injuring 31 soldiers that were wearing the same uniform that he was wearing. With gunshots to his head, shoulder, forearm and hip and the last pints of precious blood were being pumped from his body through the massive head wounds, his first thought was to call his fiancée, Jessica. Initially, the first medic to reach him was told to sit with him until he died because they did not think his wounds were survivable. With so many people injured who required medical care, the medics had to make the difficult decisions of who to use vital resources on. However, he maintained consciousness and began talking to the medics and asking them to help him. Once they saw the fight Patrick had in him, they decided to give him a chance and they immediately began performing care on him and got him into an ambulance. He was one of the first victims to arrive at the hospital emergency room on Fort Hood and he perfectly described the shooter and the details of the scene before he lost consciousness and was airlifted to the trauma center for brain surgery. The bullet that entered his skull, shattered on impact and also shattered his bone, leaving his brain filled with bullet and bone fragments that caused near fatal bleeding. During surgery to save his life, 20-30% of his brain was actually removed. He was given less than a 5% chance of survival. Jessica remembers being told he would likely be left in a vegetative state and that I “should put him in a nursing home and move on”.
Fast Forward To Today.
After enduring more than 10 brain surgeries, 4 of which resulted in life-threatening complications that set Patrick back and required he relearn basic skills, including how to walk, all over again he has begun living his life anew. With his wife, Jessica, who at the age of 22 made the decision to be a care giving wife the rest of her life, are the proud parents of an 18-month-old son, Liam.
About 4 months ago the Zeigler family, living in Rochester, MN had their lives changed once again – this time for the better!
Thanks to our supporters and PawPADS, Staff Sgt. Patrick Ziegler, his wife Jessica and son, Liam welcomed assistance dog Ranger to their home after Patrick and Ranger graduated from PawPADS assistance dog training.
This is just one of the many ways Tee It Up for the Troops fills the gap in the lives of these American heroes.
You can learn more about Patrick’s story from Tee Times Magazine.
Tee it up for the Troops, Inc. is a proud supporter of PawPADS. Seen in the picture to the left is our Chairman, Chuck Benson, presenting a $15,000 donation check to Linda Ball, Executive Director, PawPADS.
110 attendees. 96 golfers. Thirty warriors reunited. Three productive breakout sessions. Numerous connections made. Countless memories created. We were blessed with wonderful sunshine, beautiful surroundings, challenging golf courses, and a wonderful group of people gathered together to support a critical cause – reuniting a diverse group of warriors from all across the country.
“This weekend was one of the greatest moments of my life since becoming a Wounded Warrior and the camaraderie was absolutely incredible. To be part of such a wonderful event and to be around other Wounded Warriors was definitely a healing feeling.”
“You have given me just a little more hope that things can get better and that there are good people in the world. The stories of inspiration from this weekend and the support I received from perfect strangers was more than I ever expected.”
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Some photos courtesy of Moving Warriors Media (Matt Bilancia).
From Gary Komaniecki, Operation Hometown Gratitude organizer: Your gift from Tee It Up For the Troops could not have come at a better time. As I look at our calendar, we are booked with groups through December 3rd. The goal of Operation Hometown Gratitude, with the help of all of these groups, is to send as many care packages as possible to our deployed troops and to give them a taste of home, no matter where their hometown is. OHG has shipped over 14,000 care packages since December of 2005, and we could not do it without the help of organizations like Tee It Up For the Troops. I will conclude with a letter recently received by us from a chaplain’s assistant in Afghanistan:
Dear Students and faculty of Mayo High School:
My name is Sgt. Stephen Bonett and I am the Chaplain Assistant here at FOB Frontenac Afghanistan. I received and have been putting out all the wonderful, thoughtful and much needed items that you all sent. Thank you for all your donations, letters, pictures, support and prayers, they really mean a lot to us. On behalf of all of us here at FOB Frontenac, best wishes to you and your families and God bless you all. On a side note we currently have a Minnesota National Guard unit stationed here with us and they were very happy and proud to hear about your contributions.
Very Respectfully
Stephen Bonett
Sgt, USA
2d 2d Cavalry Regiment
Chaplain Assistant
Mendota Heights, MN – At the organization’s 9th annual fundraising event in Minnesota, Tee It Up For The Troops announced that they will donate a customized six-person E-Z-GO Golf Cart to each Fisher House that will be built and opened in the next three years.
Fisher Houses are beautiful homes, donated by the Fisher House Foundation to the military and Department of Veterans Affairs. These homes enable family members to be close to a loved one during hospitalization for a combat injury, illness or disease.
The customized and street-ready golf carts will allow patients to travel from the Veterans hospital where they are receiving treatment to their local Fisher House without getting in and out of a car or van.
In 2012, Tee it up for the Troops donated an E-Z-GO golf cart to the Fisher Houses in Minneapolis and Augusta, Georgia. The organization also donated a golf cart to a medical unit in Afghanistan in 2010.
Fisher House is planning for up to five new homes to open each year through 2016.
“Fisher House continues to be blessed, not just because Tee It Up for the Troops is such a generous benefactor for many years but because they are such a terrific partner in taking care of our men and women in uniform and their families,” said Derek Donovan, Vice President for Programs at Fisher House Foundation. “Although Fisher Houses are located right on the grounds of military hospitals and VA medical centers, our guests are often patients themselves and their mobility is limited. The E-Z-GO golf carts just make life easier and are a daily reminder that organizations like Tee It Up for the Troops are there for our heroes and their families.”
“Fisher House has been a great partner of Tee It Up For The Troops for many years”, said Paul Anderson, President & CEO of Tee it up for the Troops. “Their ability to help ease the burden of finding lodging and food in a time of need for an American Hero is priceless. With the family surrounding the warrior, the healing process, and recovery can begin in a setting of comfort. We are honored to be a small part of that recovery process and hope these golf carts will be a blessing to the veterans and their families.”
Gaby Accad, Owner of Versatile Vehicles in Savage, Minnesota, has been the E-Z-GO dealer responsible for assisting in the project. A supporter of Tee it up for the Troops from the beginning, he continues to see the important value in this project. “E-Z-GO and Versatile Vehicles are proud of the relationship with Tee It Up For The Troops and believe whole-heartedly in our ability to help customize a top-of-the-line street ready golf cart that will be used to ease the burden of transportation to-and-from the hospital for our Heroes,” said Gaby Accad.
Minstar Transport, of St. Paul, has graciously donated the costs of transporting of the cart which will be delivered to the new Tennessee Fisher House in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, which will open later this fall.
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