STORY BY ROBYN PASSANTE, THE ISLAND PACKET
Capt. Denver Edick, who works on Parris Island, says his boss often complains that Edick works too much — which is probably why he was selected to play in the annual Tee It Up for the Troops event held Friday at Sea Pines Country Club on Hilton Head Island. And the Marine was more than happy to follow his command’s orders.
“It was phenomenal. Sure beat being in the office,” said Edick, who’s been an active duty Marine for 11 years. “It was a beautiful day, beautiful course, great people and a great event.”
Tee It Up for the Troops hosted 60 servicemen and women from Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort and U.S. Naval Hospital Beaufort for a day of golf and a bit of pampering to thank them for their service and raise money to support veterans and their families across the country.
“They’re serving our country and we’re proud to give them a nice day; it’s very rewarding for us,” said Ron Taylor, a club member and one of the event’s organizers.
The local tournament was one of 60 planned across the country this year, said Jodi Baer, director of operations for the national organization.
“Since 2005, Tee It Up for the Troops has hosted over 360 golf fundraising events and donated more than $7 million to veteran service organizations,” Baer said. “Through collective efforts, including over 25,000 hours of volunteer time dedicated to our events in 2016 alone, we are providing critically needed services to assist veterans and military families successfully reintegrate into their communities.”
Tim Wegscheid, Tee It Up for the Troops President and Executive Director, shared: “We are thankful for The Club Foundation’s ongoing and generous support. It is vital to help military veterans and their families, and it is clearly helping to make a positive difference in their lives.”
The military honorary ceremony was the highlight of the day. This event included a stirring tribute to the men and women of our military, past and present, complete with a Bag Pipe Call to Arms, Honor Guard honoring all service branches, Invocation, National Anthem sung by local celebrity Holly Kirsten, dove release, fireworks, and a flyover with T-34 and C-6 fighter planes that served in the Korean War.
“It’s hard to express in words how I felt after that experience, but I know I let go of something deep and feel that this experience is going to allow me to maintain that positive attitude while giving me the courage to live a meaningful life with my children. ” – Veteran Participant, Art Program
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.
“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.
