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Woodbury, Minn. – For the 3^rd year in a row, Anytime Fitness is partnering with Tee It Up for the Troops in an effort to help military veterans open their own gyms and provide additional employment opportunities for fellow veterans.  Via the “Operation HeartFirst” initiative, Tee It Up for the Troops will offer a $125,000 grant and a $125,000 loan to a select number of honorably discharged veterans for the purpose of assisting with initial start-up capital to be used for the development of an Anytime Fitness franchise.  Anytime Fitness’ HeartFirst Charitable Foundation™ will provide a grant to Tee It Up for the Troops, which will then offer this opportunity to approved veterans, National Guard members, or reservists, as well as oversee the selection process and management of logistics.

“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. “Currently, about 10% of our franchisees are military veterans.  We’d like to see that number grow even higher.  Veterans are some of our best and most successful club operators.”  

APPLICATION PROCESS

Tee It Up for the Troops is currently accepting online applications via http://www.teeitupforthetroops.org/anytime-fitness-veteran-franchise-opportunity/.  Among other key criteria, interested veterans must have “a passion for fitness and community engagement.”  The application deadline is May 1^st, 2017.

“We are looking for candidates 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.  “This particular opportunity involves an Anytime Fitness gym to be located in the Dothan, AL area, near Fort Rucker.  The selected franchisee will determine the precise location of the gym.”

Anytime Fitness, LLC has also agreed to waive its initial franchise fee and ongoing royalty payments related to this opportunity.  Consideration will be given by the selection committee to veterans with service-related disabilities.

“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 gym managers and personal trainers – for many years to come.”

The first Operation HeartFirst recipients opened their Anytime Fitness gym near Fort Bragg in Southern Pines, NC in the spring of 2016.  Another Operation HeartFirst gym will open within the next few weeks near Fort Benning in Opelika, AL.  The recipients of the next Operation HeartFirst grant will be selected by June 15th with an anticipated club opening date of early 2018.

OPERATION HEARTFIRST VIDEO:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sf3VNN2wTyk

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About Anytime Fitness

Ranked #1 on Entrepreneur’s prestigious Top Global Franchise list, Anytime Fitness is the fastest-growing gym franchise in the world, with more than 3,500 gyms serving 3,000,000 members on five continents. Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, Anytime Fitness prides itself on providing its members with convenient fitness options and friendly, personal service in well-maintained facilities which feature top-quality exercise equipment. Gyms are now open in all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Sweden, Italy, Grand Cayman, Poland, the Netherlands, Spain, Qatar, India, Chile, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Belgium and the Philippines.  All franchised gyms are individually owned and operated.  Join one gym and use them all.

About Tee It Up for the Troops

Tee It Up for the Troops, Inc, is a national 501(c)3 non-profit organization that serves U.S. military veterans and their families.  Based in Minnesota, Tee it Up for the Troops inspires communities across the country to organize golf events to raise funds for partnering veterans service organizations who deliver critically needed services to military families.  These locally-supported events also greatly assist returning service members to successfully reintegrate into their communities.  Established in 2005, Tee It Up for the Troops has hosted over 325 events in more than 30 states and has donated over $6 million to more than 300 various organizations serving veterans across the country.  In addition, through their REUNION initiative, Tee It Up for the Troops has reunited nearly 200 combat altered veterans who were separated due to battlefield injuries or changes in rehabilitation status.  Through these reunions, participating veterans enhance their transition process into productive and fulfilling civilian lifestyles.

Media Contacts:

Mark Daly, National Media Director for Anytime Fitness:  mark.daly@sebrands.com

Tim Wegscheid, President of Tee It Up for the Troops: tim@teeitupforthetroops.org

To honor the mission of Tee It Up for the Troops, an all volunteer organizing committee teamed up with staff from the St Cloud Country Club to host their 3rd annual Tee It Up for the Troops golf benefit in August of 2016!

This event began with an inspirational opening ceremony that pays tribute to our nation, the men and women of our military, and our cherished freedoms. Following the opening ceremony golfers tee’d off for a 18-hole scramble tournament. Following the tournament, golfers and non-golfers enjoyed a cocktail reception and evening dinner program.

It is standard practice to donate 50% of Tee It Up for the Troops event proceeds to local veteran support organizations. In keeping with that tradition, this week several individuals gathered together to present a check in the amount of $14,200 to the SCSU Student Veterans Organization.

The Veterans Resource Center at St. Cloud State University provides a welcoming environment for veterans, current service members and their families. The center provides a one-stop shop for information and resources pertaining to military benefits, including referrals to outside veteran agencies, and provides an ideal space for networking and connecting with other military affiliated students on campus.

You can read more about how this specific donation with benefit the Veterans Resource Center here.

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The individuals in the photo below, from left to right, are as follows: Tom Olson, General Manager of the St. Cloud Country Club; Rollie Carlson, TIUFTT Minnesota Chapter Board Member; Interim President of SCSU, Ashish Vaidya; Vice President of University Advancement, Matt Andrew; and Vice President of Student Life and Development, Wanda Overland.

On behalf of all of those who “stepped up to the tee” at our 2016 events, we were able to donate over $1,000,000 to veteran support organizations, including a $20,000 donation to CreatiVets! We are proud to support organizations like Creativets who are making a difference in the lives of our American heroes!

Jeremy Durbin, Executive Director of Creativets, said “Your donation has allowed us to provide songwriting sessions and art programming for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury. Through these experiences, participants have learned the benefits of using art and music as a form of stress and anxiety relief. They have also created incredible songs and artwork that have enabled them to tell their stories in a way that creates something beautiful from something tragic.”

“Even though my friends and family do not understand what it was like in Iraq, I believe my song gives them a better understanding of what I went through while deployed.” – Veteran Participant, Songwriting Program 

We love this letter we received from K9s For Warriors regarding the use of the grant awarded to them by Tee It Up for the Troops!

Dear Mr. Wegscheld & Tee It Up for the Troops,

Thank you so much for your recent grant award. Your grant will help with the continued equipment and building costs of the second kennel, which officially opened in September, 2016. Having this additional kennel vastly increases our service dog training capability, adding 31 new stalls to our campus. Once filled, we will be able to speed up the rate at which we pair warriors and canines, saving the lives of dogs and veterans faster.

Currently, we accommodate 6-8 warriors per class. Our goal for 2017 is to increase class sizes to 10 members, as we try our hardest to fight against the suicide epidemic of post-9/11 heroes. The additional kennel is key to meeting this goal. It allows us to have more dogs available and ready to pair with the warriors who need them most. In 2016, we graduated 72 warrior-canine teams! That indicates a total of 144 lives saved last year, counting just graduates. However, our statistics are even better than that, because we saved a total of 190 dogs! Those that weren’t evaluated as good fits for service work were adopted into homes of eager, dedicated dog lovers.

We are fortunate to hear many touching testimonies from the veterans who get “a new leash on life” from our program. Brad was a member of our November, 2016 class along with his service dog, Bear. We have included his photo as an attachment to this update. Here is his quote describing his newfound hope:

“I tried everything under the sun, from medications to neurological treatments. After going through K9s’ program, I now have peace of mind that my future will be better than my past. K9s saves veterans, making them functional citizens, with the help of an animal that would’ve most likely been euthanized. I now have hope for my life.” – Brad & Bear, November 2016 graduates.

Thank you again for your generosity. We look forward to continuing this partnership to help our military veterans reintegrate into society.
Sincerely,
Rory Diamond,
CEO, K9s For Warriors

December 7, 2016 (Irvine, Calif.) — Signature Control Systems, Inc., a global leader in Internet-based irrigation control, and Tee It Up for the Troops, a national veterans service non-profit, announced today a national partnership to support the care of our nation’s veterans and military families.

The partnership will provide significant proceeds from Signature’s golf and turf product sales to Tee It Up for the Troops to help local and national veterans service organizations.

“Our organization is grateful for Signature’s support and partnership,” said Tim Wegscheid, President of Tee It Up for the Troops. “Golf is fundamental to our mission and serves as critical therapy for so many of our nation’s combat veterans. Signature’s leadership in irrigating and protecting golf courses makes this a truly synergistic partnership.”

Minnesota-based Tee It Up for the Troops hosts approximately 40 golf events across the United States each year to raise funds for combat altered veterans and their families. It provides over $1 million in direct funding annually to various veterans service providers, including: Fisher House Foundation, Hope for the Warriors, and Warfighter Sports (a division of Disabled Sports USA), among others.

Signature Control Systems is a natural partner for Tee It Up for the Troops. The company has been a leader in golf course turf irrigation control and supplies for nearly 20 years. Its equipment can be found on hundreds of golf courses around the globe.

“Our military service members protect our homeland with honor and sacrifice,” said Brian J. Smith, CEO and Founder of Signature. “Signature has a duty to support those who are injured or lose their lives during their service. Supporting the mission and services provided by Tee It Up for the Troops and their partner organizations will help us fulfill this duty.”

The partnership began to form when Smith encountered Tee It Up for the Troops and its local service partners at a Southern California tournament hosted by the organization.

“I was profoundly impacted by their mission,” Smith continued. “It was humbling to witness the positive effect this organization and its partners are having on our disabled veterans – men and women who have given beyond what we can imagine. Tim and I immediately began discussions on how we could form a partnership.  It’s been terrific.”

The partnership was formalized in late November 2016. Signature will serve as Tee It Up for the Troops’ exclusive irrigation partner and joins an impressive list of leading golf and corporate partners, including Bridgestone Golf, PING, Textron, Inc/EZ GO, and Anytime Fitness.

 About Signature Control Systems:

Signature is an advanced technology company and the industry leader in On-line Intelligent Irrigation Control.  Signature introduced the industry’s first Web-Based Intelligent Irrigation products in 1999, and their patented Share™ Irrigation Control Technology is currently saving millions of gallons of water annually for cities and homeowners across drought-stricken Southern California.  Along with their innovative Share™ Smart Controllers, Signature produces a comprehensive line of best-in-class irrigation products tailor-made for homeowners, landscape managers, municipal parks, property managers, and golf course superintendents.   With world headquarters located in Irvine, CA and manufacturing facilities in Peoria, IL, all Signature products are wholly designed and manufactured in the USA.  For more information, please visit us at: www.signaturecontrolsystems.com.

About Tee It Up for the Troops

Tee It Up for the Troops is a national non-profit organization that engages and inspires communities across the USA to organize golf events to honor and support the military men and women who have served and sacrificed so much for our freedoms.  Through these events, Tee It Up for the Troops has become a fundraising engine for local and national veterans service organizations who deliver critically needed services to our military families.

Since being established in 2005, Tee It Up for the Troops has hosted over 325 events in more than 30 states and has donated over $7 million to more than 300 various organizations serving veterans across the country.  Tee It Up for the Troops has also reunited nearly 250 combat altered veterans who were separated due to battlefield injuries, thus assisting with their transition back into their communities.

Tee It Up for the Troops is proud to support many wonderful veteran service organizations throughout the United States including those that provide service dogs for veterans.

The influence service dogs have in the daily life of veterans cannot be overstated as was shared recently by one Trauma Assistance Dog recipient:

“Many combat veterans don’t come home the same person they were when they left here to fight for our country. We leave part of ourselves in the sands of Iraq and Afghanistan. My dog has given me a lot of my life back. We are always together and are best friends. I have been able to enjoy going out with my family and not have to worry about anything else around. [My dog] has given me hope that I thought was lost.”

“We are so proud to be associated with Tee It Up for the Troops, and look forward to introducing our customer base to your organization. We have heard a lot of positive feedback from our sales associates and other employees about our support for Tee It Up for the Troops as we enter the opening weekend of our Veterans Sale event.”

-Margaret Eggenberger, Content Manager – Marketing at Slumberland Furniture

“On behalf of the board of directors of Tee It Up for the Troops, please accept my heartfelt gratitude for choosing our organization as Slumberland’s charitable partner during your Veterans Day sales event.   The financial donation and exposure for Tee It Up for the Troops is invaluable to our efforts to help combat-altered veterans.   The most authentic brands are ones that are faithful to something other than just profits.  They have a higher purpose and understand the positive impact they can have on a community. That’s Slumberland. Your company’s people, core values, integrity and compassion define you as company that practices what it preaches.”

-Patrick Klinger, Tee It Up for the Troops Board Director

 

We are very excited to see that the latest Tee It Up for the Troops golf cart donation has made its way to the new Ft Bragg Fisher House!

Lorie Southerland, Manager of the Ft. Bragg Fisher House, said “This will make it so much easier for those guests who are here without a vehicle to get back and forth to the hospital or WTB (Warrior Transition Battalion).”

Minnesota Vikings punter Jeff Locke joined 15 others and played a combined total of 190 hours of golf in the Longest Day of Golf for the Troops but the lasting memories won’t be a perfect shot or the numbers on the scorecards for the 1300-hole outing.

It was a gorgeous day for the Longest Day of Golf for the Troops!

“The best part of the day for me was being able to switch groups and interact with the veterans,” Locke said. “It was so much fun playing with them and hearing their stories of what “Tee It Up for the Troops” has done for them coming back from overseas or from their service.”

A total of 16 golfers, veterans and veteran supporters, teed off just before 6:45 a.m. and raised more than $12,000 (and counting) for Tee It Up for the Troops!

Participants and volunteers were treated to a wonderful lunch on the go courtesy of participant, Marc Spiros and HoneyBaked Ham. The local HoneyBaked Ham stores in the Minneapolis / St Paul area wanted to give back to the communities by supporting and getting involved in the communities in which they work. We are delighted that they chose Tee it up for the Troops to honor those who have provided the freedom we all enjoy.

This foursome combined for an amazing total of 430 holes!

Tee It Up for the Troops is a cause near and dear to many including Locke, whose father, Bob, was an Air Force pilot for 20-plus years. Jeff Locke was born at a military hospital in Frankfurt, Germany, and has other military ties in his family.

“Jeff (and so many others) understands the service and sacrifice that goes into the military lifestyle,” said Tim Wegscheid, the president of Tee It Up for the Troops. “He’s a great guy and has a big heart for serving our military families,” he added.

“He doesn’t do it for the fame,” SGT Ngo said. “He does it because he knows that if it wasn’t for the men and women that serve this country, we wouldn’t have the freedoms we have.”

A team of veterans giving back with support from long-time supporter, D.A.S. Heating and Cooling. Check out this video highlighting the day.

(Video produced by Eric Smith, MN Vikings Team Reporter.)

Veteran Dan Sullivan chipped in for a birdie from 100 yards out!

It was a LONG day for some and an ENTERTAINING day for others!