thedrifter
09-29-07, 06:55 AM
Golf tourney doles out cash
JENNIFER HLAD
DAILY NEWS STAFF
Celebrities, golfers and Marines combined to raise more than $100,000 this year for organizations that support wounded warriors.
The Marine Corps Celebrity Classic golf tournament raised $108,000 in its fourth year - $27,000 each for Hope for the Warriors, the United Service Organizations of Jacksonville, Disabled Sports USA/Wounded Warriors Project and the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation.
The funds will go a long way toward helping injured service members and their families, said Robin Kelleher, president of Hope for the Warriors.
In Kelleher's organization, the money will go toward the Warrior Hope and Care Center, a facility that will be built at Camp Lejeune, and to immediate needs, she said.
"This could mean the world to some families," she said.
The tournament is unique because it not only supports Disabled Sports USA, it also allows wounded warriors to play in the tournament, said Kirk Bauer, the organization's executive director.
Bauer, a disabled Vietnam veteran, said the support from the tournament helps his organization provide support to today's veterans not available for troops returning from Vietnam.
The tournament "has an impact nationally, not just in this community," he said.
The impact will be evident soon in Jacksonville's USO, said Judy Pitchford, president of the USO of North Carolina. Some of the money will go to support the USO's wounded warrior program, and the other part will buy new furniture for the Jacksonville center, she said.
"We are very excited about the gift," she said.
The tournament raised about $20,000 in its first year, $40,000 in its second and $85,000 in its third, said Rosie Jones, the event's organizer.
"We have our sights set on much more next year," she said.
The community support is a big part of making the tournament a success, she said.
Contact military reporter Jennifer Hlad at jhlad@freedomenc.com or 353-1171, ext. 8449. To comment on this story, visit www.jdnews.com.
Ellie
JENNIFER HLAD
DAILY NEWS STAFF
Celebrities, golfers and Marines combined to raise more than $100,000 this year for organizations that support wounded warriors.
The Marine Corps Celebrity Classic golf tournament raised $108,000 in its fourth year - $27,000 each for Hope for the Warriors, the United Service Organizations of Jacksonville, Disabled Sports USA/Wounded Warriors Project and the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation.
The funds will go a long way toward helping injured service members and their families, said Robin Kelleher, president of Hope for the Warriors.
In Kelleher's organization, the money will go toward the Warrior Hope and Care Center, a facility that will be built at Camp Lejeune, and to immediate needs, she said.
"This could mean the world to some families," she said.
The tournament is unique because it not only supports Disabled Sports USA, it also allows wounded warriors to play in the tournament, said Kirk Bauer, the organization's executive director.
Bauer, a disabled Vietnam veteran, said the support from the tournament helps his organization provide support to today's veterans not available for troops returning from Vietnam.
The tournament "has an impact nationally, not just in this community," he said.
The impact will be evident soon in Jacksonville's USO, said Judy Pitchford, president of the USO of North Carolina. Some of the money will go to support the USO's wounded warrior program, and the other part will buy new furniture for the Jacksonville center, she said.
"We are very excited about the gift," she said.
The tournament raised about $20,000 in its first year, $40,000 in its second and $85,000 in its third, said Rosie Jones, the event's organizer.
"We have our sights set on much more next year," she said.
The community support is a big part of making the tournament a success, she said.
Contact military reporter Jennifer Hlad at jhlad@freedomenc.com or 353-1171, ext. 8449. To comment on this story, visit www.jdnews.com.
Ellie