The Golf Season May End in the Midwest.
The Mission Doesn't.
Meet one of our 2026 National Grant Recipients.
October signals the end of another golf season. In northern states, courses prepare for winter, clubs are packed away, and Tee It Up for the Troops events wind down after months of bringing communities together in support of America’s military heroes.
But the needs of our veterans don’t end when the golf season does.
October 10 is World Mental Health Day, an important reminder that for many veterans, service members, and military families, the challenges associated with military service continue every day of the year. Isolation, unresolved trauma, stress, and difficulty accessing mental health resources don’t follow a season—and neither does our commitment to supporting those who served.
Through the generosity of our golfers, sponsors, volunteers, event committees, and donors, Tee It Up for the Troops is able to partner with organizations providing critical services to veterans throughout the year. These partnerships help ensure that support continues long after the tournaments conclude. One of our 2026 National Grant recipients, Give an Hour, demonstrates just how far that support can reach.
Through its Project Valor program, Give an Hour provides trauma-informed peer support, clinical matching, education, and training for veterans, service members, and their families. The program is designed to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health care, increase access to support, and strengthen one of the most important protective factors after military service: connection.
Project Valor also helps fill a critical gap by supporting veterans before challenges escalate into crisis situations.
In 2025, Project Valor served more than 1,200 veterans, while approximately 3,600 new military-connected individuals reached out to Give an Hour for support. More than 1,000 referrals to clinical care were made, with the organization estimating that approximately 3,000 people were ultimately impacted through the broader reach of its programs.
Veterans and military-connected individuals were able to access peer-led support groups facilitated by trained veterans with lived experience, one-on-one clinical care through Give an Hour’s national network of licensed mental health professionals, and education and training designed around their needs. The result is more than access to services. It is an opportunity for someone to be heard, to reconnect, and to know support is available.
What Happens After the Last Putt
Every golfer, sponsor, volunteer, and donor helps make that year-round impact possible. So, while some of us may be putting away our golf clubs for the winter, we’re not putting away the mission.
Stepping into Tim’s role, we are excited to welcome Chris LaRocque as our new President & Executive Director. Chris brings to us nearly 20 years of experience in leadership and strategy, most recently serving as the Director of Operations for Golfzon America. In addition to his corporate leadership experience, Chris serves as a Logistics Officer in the Army Reserves; a role that has taken him on deployments to Germany, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia. Chris is passionate about servant leadership and community impact. Outside of work, Chris loves to travel with his wife, dive into books about military history and leadership, watch MLB & the WNBA, and visit family all around the country.
When you serve in the military, you are given a purpose.
But when military service ends, that clarity often disappears.
We extend our deepest gratitude to the employees of AMP and their Fun Committee for hosting such a unique and meaningful event. Their creativity and generosity remind us that even something as lighthearted as chipping marshmallows can make a lasting difference when it’s done in support of those who have sacrificed so much.
