Victory for Vets Golf Tournament Success
The Virginia Wounded Warrior Program (VWWP) was the beneficiary of a day of golfing at the Lakeview Golf Club in Harrisonburg, Va. on August 7th. The second annual Victory for Vets Tournament drew 81 adult players, 10 young juniors, and 24 sponsored guest players. Although 2009 was an economically austere year, the tournament was generously supported by 55 individual or organizational sponsors.
Ten wounded soldiers from Fort Lee were among the players hosted and sponsored by Lakeview. One of the soldiers remarked, “You don’t know what it means to guys who are away from home and just have a few buddies to lean on.”
More than $14,530 was collected and will be used to support the Virginia Wounded Warrior Program. The Virginia Wounded Warrior Program coordinates support and services for wounded warriors and their families on the road to recovery from the effects of stress-related and traumatic brain injuries. This past April, VWWP awarded $1.7 million in funding to community programs across the Commonwealth so they can provide behavioral health care and other services to veterans, members of the National Guard and Reserves not in active federal service, and their families. This funding at the local level expands the amount and type of services available to wounded warriors and their families.
The tournament was organized by David and Judy Holt. Lakeview Golf Club donated the entire course for the tournament. All revenues from green fees, cart rentals, practice balls, refreshments, and other purchases went directly to the VWWP. A full catered luncheon was co-sponsored by Lakeview and the Harrisonburg Bob Evans Restaurant. The Harrisonburg High School ROTC provided an honor guard for the second year in a row. The Bridgewater, Virginia branch of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) participated in the program and made a significant contribution on behalf of the Tournament directly to the VWWP. In addition, the Harrisonburg VFW post, the local AmVets chapter, and the American Legion sent teams to the tournament with additional contributions.
Support for the tournament came from a variety of sources and while most donations were relatively small, several reflected the spirit of the event. For example, a would-be junior player came into the Lakeview Golf Clubhouse several days before the tournament and asked about the cost to play. He told the desk attendant that he didn’t have the $25 entry fee and that he wasn’t a very good player. He then emptied his pockets of several crumpled bills and change, offering a donation of $18.19. The desk staff paid his entry fee but the young man insisted on also making his donation even though, in the end, he was unable to return and play in the tournament.
Plans are already underway for next year’s tournament. The event is tentatively scheduled for late July, subject to scheduling between Lakeview and a similar sister tournament hosted by the Lexington Country Club. Lexington Country Club held its first Wounded Warriors Tournament, sponsored by the George C. Marshall Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America, this past August.
