Thank You!
On Tuesday, November 10th, 2020, Hallmark Golf hosted 111 players for the Lowcountry Veteran’s Day Golf Tournament. The tournament was the restart of a Crescent tradition honoring and recognizing Veterans at The Crescent and in our local community. For many years, the Crescent tournament was organized and ran by three Crescent residents who are Vietnam Veterans. The tournament took a hiatus for several years and now new Crescent volunteers have brought it back to life and plan to make it an annual event.
This year’s tournament collected $5,725 from corporate and individual donors, and cash donations on the day of the tournament, which was presented to The Lowcountry Foundation for Wounded Military Heroes (LFWMH), this year's recipient.
We are deeply honored to be a part of this special event and extend our gratitude to the committee and its donors .
Pictured, left to right are Mike Siegel, one of the three founding members of the Crescent Veteran’s Day Golf Tournament; Connie Poland, wife of a second founding member and co-organizer of this year’s tournament; Bill Anderson, Crescent Veteran and tournament organizer; Alan Prenoveau, Treasurer of LFWMH, and
Russ Spicer, CEO of LFWMH.
LFWMH Welcomes FIRST Female 4-Star General
General Ann Dunwoody was the featured speaker at our 9th Annual Golf Classic Event. Ann is the former commanding general of one of the Army’s largest commands, the US Army Materiel Command. She is the first woman in US military history to achieve a four-star officer rank. She led many divisions at home and abroad and commanded at every level. She also supported the largest deployment and redeployment of US forces since WWII. She is the author of the book, A Higher Standard: Leadership Strategies from America’s First Female Four-Star General, where she shares nearly four decades of military experiences and shares her effective leadership skills , revealing the principles that guided her to her historic appointment.
TIME magazine interview on how she made it.
Okatie Rotary Donates $15,000 to LFWMH
Heroes Brew Fest Honors Lowcountry’s Wounded Military Veterans
Hundreds of people turned out for an evening of River Dog craft beer, Murican Border Tacos and fundraising for a good cause. The highlight of the event was the gracious donation of $15,000 by The Rotary Club of Okatie raised from their 25th Annual Polo for Charity event held in October at the Rose Hill Equestrian Center.
“We are honored that The Rotary Club of Okatie has chosen us for the 2018 Polo for Charity Event” said Russ Spicer the founder of the LFWMH. “This donation will go toward our 17th sponsored service dog from K9s for Warriors -- the nation's largest provider of service canines for disabled vets suffering from PTSD and traumatic brain injury as a result of their post-9/11 military service. In honor of this event, this dog will be named ‘Okatie’ and will be paired with a deserving wounded warrior from our area.”
Special thanks to the Team at River Dog Brewery for hosting the event– you guys are awesome!
Link to photos from the event:
River Dog Brewery hosted the Heroes Brew Fest Honoring Lowcountry’s Wounded Military Veterans
Pictured above is Russ Spicer (Center), Chairman of the LFWMH, accepting the donation from members of the Rotary Club of Okatie (pictured from left to right) - Carl Jones, Linda Palmer, Julie Leister, Tony Leister and John Mosca.
LFWMH Honors Whale Branch Early College High School ROTC
November 9th, 2018 -- In celebration of Veterans Day and the anniversary of the founding of the United States Marine Corps the Lowcountry Foundation for Wounded Military Heroes (LFWMH) presented an award of gratitude to the ROTC students attending the Whale Branch Early College High School for their participation in the Foundation’s activities honoring local wounded veterans.
Accepting the award were Major Marvin D. Goodwin, Senior Marine Instructor and Ms. Mona Lise Dickson, Principal at the Whale Branch Early College High School. Attending the ceremony were 90 Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (MC-JROTC) students along with invited military veterans and their families. The program included a salute to our nation’s military veterans with a Posting of Colors performed by the high school students along with a traditional cake-cutting ceremony in honor of the day November 10th, 1775 when the Second Continental Congress established the Continental Marines in Philadelphia. The Continental Marines served the American Colonies during the American Revolutionary War and would later become the United States Marine Corps.
Foundation Military Liaison Sal Zingales, LTC. U.S. Army (Ret.) commented, “We honor the students of the Whale Branch MC-JROTC program for their service to our Foundation. And, to the Whale Branch High School teachers and staff, we thank you for your dedication to developing informed students with strength of character and an understanding of the responsibilities of citizenship. Your work is playing an important role in preparing future leaders for our military and the nation.”
LFWMH Surpasses the $1M Mark with $155,000 Donation
July 26, 2018. LFWMH' s CEO , Russ Spicer and CFO, Doug Myers presented this year's $155,000 check to Justin Johns of the PGA Tour's Birdies for the Brave (B4B) at a ceremony at TPC Sawgrass (near the headquarters for the B4B) in Ponte Vedre, FL.
This check put LFWMH's donations to B4B over the $1M mark.
From the Birdies for the Brave press release....
Hundreds of lowcountry golfers gathered together with community leaders and sponsors in May to raise funds for the military through the Lowcountry Foundation for Wounded Military Heroes’ Eighth Annual Wounded Heroes Golf Classic at Hampton Hall Club and Belfair Golf Club in Bluffton.
Thanks to the outpouring of support from the local community, the event raised $155,000, bringing the total amount raised during the past eight years to $1,065,000. Proceeds will once again benefit six Birdies for the Brave military homefront charities including Military Warriors Support Foundation; Operation Shower; Special Operations Warrior Foundation; Green Beret Foundation; Navy Seal Foundation; and K9s For Warriors. The donation check was presented this week to Birdies for the Brave during a ceremony at TPC Sawgrass on Thursday, July 26, following a golf outing with members from the Lowcountry Foundation and Birdies for the Brave on the Stadium Course. During the round, Birdies for the Brave player supporter Fred Funk stopped by to show his appreciation and offer putting tips.
“We are grateful to the Lowcountry Foundation for Wounded Military Heroes for doing such a tremendous job supporting wounded veterans from the greater lowcountry area through this fantastic event,” said the PGA TOUR’s Justin Johns, who spearheads Birdies for the Brave. “These funds will be invaluable in helping all of these outstanding military charities achieve their shared mission of giving back to those who selflessly put their lives on the line every day in service to our country.”
The Golf Classic was kicked off with an evening volunteer and community appreciation reception featuring live and silent auctions, guest speakers and live music, followed the next day by the tournament. Opening ceremonies were conducted at both clubs, and included a variety of military pageantry including the presentation of the colors and the singing of the national anthem. The 18-hole tournament featured more than 200 golfers and nearly 30 lowcountry wounded veterans, with the veterans playing nine holes of golf with every foursome. Live and silent auctions and a post-golf awards dinner followed play, where golfers had the chance to mingle with homefront charity representatives and hear from guest speakers.
The Lowcountry Foundation for Wounded Military Heroes was co-founded by lifelong golf fan and philanthropist Russ Spicer to address the growing need to help service members returning home from combat with serious injuries and disabilities re-integrate into civilian life. The all-volunteer organization encompasses a five-person Board of Directors, 20 committee leaders, and more than 180 passionate, dedicated volunteers.
“The men and women of our U.S. Armed Forces sacrifice so much to ensure the safety and freedom of all Americans, and we owe them and their families an enormous debt of gratitude,” said Spicer. “We are grateful for the opportunity to work with Birdies for the Brave to give back to these courageous veterans, and appreciate the passion, generosity and compassion of so many caring people in the lowcountry community – who helped make our eighth annual Wounded Heroes Golf Classic an overwhelming success.”
For more information about the Lowcountry Foundation for Wounded Military Heroes, visit www.woundedmilitaryheroes.org. For more information on Birdies for the Brave, please visit www.birdiesforthebrave.org or follow them on Facebook.
Governor Haley Proclaims Wounded Heroes Golf Classic Day
Last year, we were honored that Governor Haley, now Ambassador to the U.N., proclaimed May 6, 2016 Wounded Heroes Golf Classic Day.