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Tee It Up for the Troops Selects Third Operation HeartFirst™ Recipient to Open Anytime Fitness Franchise!

Tee It Up for the Troops is proud to announce the third recipient of a financial grant designed to help military veterans open their own Anytime Fitness gyms and provide additional employment opportunities for fellow veterans.

This year’s selected recipient, Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Hunt, retired as a United States Air Force Technical Sergeant in the Security Forces career field. Deployed six times during her 15 years of service, Liz said, “the gear never got lighter, the terrain never got easier to ruck through, and after listening to my squad talk about (and sometimes experiencing) back and knee pain, I realized the significance of not just keeping myself fit, but ensuring my squad was just as fit (if not more).” Thus began her dream of owning her own Anytime Fitness franchise!

Liz and her husband Corey, a 17 year Major in the Air Force, will use a $125,000 grant and a $125,000 loan as start-up capital to open an Anytime Fitness gym near Fort Rucker in Dothan, Alabama.

After learning that she had been selected, Liz pledged “I, on the core values the military raised me on, pledge to not only paint this town purple with Anytime Fitness’ motto, but to do right and remain humbled at organizations such as yours that never stop serving…that truly embrace the motto of carrying your brother/sister…”

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K9s save veterans, making them functional citizens…

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

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Fisher House salutes Tee It Up for the Troops as a top-tier veteran service organization!

Military service members, Veterans and their families are supported by countless organizations who acknowledge their sacrifices. Tee It Up for the Troops is honored to be featured in the Fisher House Patriot magazine as a top-tier veteran service organization! Click here to read the article from The Patriot magazine!

Tee It Up for the Troops not only supports Fisher House Foundation, we also support Fisher Houses at the local level by providing golf carts to be used by those staying at the homes. The golf carts have made a difference to patients and families who may have difficulty walking, or seek protection from inclement weather. The notes we get from the Fisher House managers mean so much knowing we are helping to make these families comfortable!
 

 

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Tee it up for the Troops ~ Longest Day of Golf

Inaugural Longest Day of Golf for the Troops

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.”

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AJGA donates PING patriotic golf bags

AJGA and the CB&I Boys Championship

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!

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Tee it up for the Troops – SeaCliff, Huntington Beach, CA

SeaCliff tournament Event

The SeaCliff tournament is one of many tournaments providing an opportunity to show gratitude and appreciation for the sacrifices made by our brave service men and women. Attendees include military families, fellow patriots, honored wounded warriors and active duty military guests. In addition to a great day of golf, incredible on-course food and drink, and a fabulous dinner banquet, guests and sponsors have the opportunity to view military displays and experience the thrill of a fly-over. This memorable event touches the hearts of all in attendance!

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Tee it up for the Troops – Alta Vista, St. Placentia, CA

members of Alta Vista Country Club

In 2007, a dedicated group of members of Alta Vista Country Club committed themselves, their labor and their resources to the wounded warrior cause and conducted the Club’s Inaugural Tee it up for the Troops Golf Tournament. Over the last 7 years the Alta Vista tournament has been TIUFTT most successful single day / single venue event, raising to date some $900,000+.

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Filling the gap with an assistance dog from PawPADS

Staff Sgt. Patrick Ziegler, a Fort Hood massacre survivor

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.

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3rd Annual Reunion Event a Huge Success

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).

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EZ-Go Cart Donation at 9th Annual Mendakota Event

EZ-Go Cart Donation

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.

fisherhouse“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.