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.
Tee it up for the Troops has been a partner and friend of PawPADs for three years, and we never forget to express our gratitude. As you know, the “PawPADs Difference” is that we use the value of the training and association with the dogs during training as therapeutic – sometimes healing – always inspiring tool while the dogs are in the journey from puppyhood to partnership. We built our Paw Corps Program on a donation from TIUFTT and your continuing support has helped us grow and “grow up.” We aren’t the biggest Service Dog organization on the Minnesota map, but I dare say we are the one with the most integrity and heart and guts! We are making a difference in lives through Paw Corps and all our programs and we are proud to have TIUFTT on our side.
