Latest News and Recent Events

We deeply mourn the loss of Jim Miller, one of the original founding members of the Lowcountry Foundation for Wounded Military Heroes (LFWMH) family. Jim served as an original Board Member during our crucial formative years in 2011 and 2012. Alongside founder Russ Spicer, Jim helped build the framework that allows LFWMH to serve combat-wounded veterans today. Our foundation's very existence is rooted in Jim's family. His stepson, Master Sgt. Todd Nelson, was severely injured in Afghanistan during his third tour of duty, enduring over 40 surgeries. Todd's sacrifice and resilience served as the initial impetus and driving spark that inspired Russ to establish LFWMH. Our Foundation will be forever indebted to Jim for his contributions during our formative years. Jim's kindness, leadership, and presence will be profoundly missed by everyone who had the honor of working alongside him. To honor his incredible legacy and lasting impact, we will hold a special moment of silence at all of our upcoming 2027 events. Our deepest thoughts and prayers are with Jim's family, friends, and loved ones during this time.

Wine Time Donates a Check to LFWMH for $1,322 On Thursday, August 13, owners Lauren and Rob Bazemore presented a generous check of $1,322 to LFWMH CEO and Founder Russ Spicer. This wonderful contribution officially makes Wine Time our very first Bronze Sponsor for the upcoming fiscal year! We are incredibly grateful for the continued partnership and community spirit of our local businesses. This helps the LFWMH to continue its mission and passion for improving the lives of our military heroes in need. Cheers to our good friends at Wine Time! Please show them some love and check out their website at winetimebluffton.com 🥂🍇

On July 28th, members of the LFWMH presented this year's donation check to Birdies for the Brave at TPC Sawgrass as we do each year. With representatives from many of the charities in attendance, we presented a check to Justin Johns of Birdies for the Brave. This year's donation of $450,000 was the largest annual donation we've made since our Foundation's inception. The amounts donated to specific charities can be found on our Charities We Support page.

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Just over a week after graduating from Clemson University, William Gifford returned to Bluffton to support the Lowcountry Foundation for Wounded Military Heroes Golf Classic, a tournament that helped fund his education after his father, a Marine, was killed in Afghanistan in 2012. The event raises money for military-focused charities, and Gifford said he returned to thank the volunteers and supporters who helped make his college experience possible.

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For many military families, pregnancy can come with unique challenges — transfers away from family and, worse, deployments. That's why Operation Shower was founded and why, for the 7th year in a row, Operation Shower and our Foundation have teamed up to give military moms-to-be a shower they will never forget. This year's event welcomed 20 expectant moms and was hosted by Lydia Blackstone from WJCL News, a big supporter of ours and veteran organizations throughout our area.

Spicer paired with Warrior Hero Kyle (left) — Bella paired with Warrior Hero Nick (right)

On November 14, 2025, K9s For Warriors held its most recent graduation ceremonies at the organization's Shari Duval National Headquarters in Ponte Vedra, Florida to celebrate the graduation of a new group of veteran-dog teams. Each veteran was paired with a specially trained service dog. Two of our 39 total LFWMH-sponsored K9s funded to date, Bella and Spicer, were part of this most recent graduating class. Bella, paired with Warrior Hero Nick, was a gift provided by the Wexford K9s group within the Wexford Community on Hilton Head Island, SC. Spicer, paired with Warrior Hero Kyle, was a gift made possible by Steve and Linda Baker. Spicer is named after the CEO and founder of the LFWMH, Russ Spicer, who has led our Foundation since its inception in 2010.

On October 4, 2025, members of The Crescent Pointe Golf Club and The Crescent community in Bluffton SC once again put on their annual Lowcountry Veterans Golf Tournament honoring those who served and sacrificed. This year's event was their most successful — EVER — netting LFWMH over $32,000. This event originated about 13 years ago when Bill Poland (SGT, USMC), Mike Siegel (CW2, US Army), and Bill Capshaw (CPT, US Army), all Vietnam Veterans, decided to share some Bloody Marys at their own expense out on their course in exchange for donations to help our veterans in need. After a few years, age, health, and other life events got in the way and the event went quiet. Several years later, in 2020, Bill Anderson — another Army veteran in The Crescent community — decided to resurrect the event. In 2025, Bill passed the baton to Mike Lemire. Mike and his team, with Bill's assistance, planned and coordinated this year's event. This year's donation to LFWMH represents a 20% increase from last year and reflects their dedication and commitment to assisting veterans in need.

On August 7th, members of the LFWMH presented this year's donation check to Birdies for the Brave at TPC Sawgrass as we do each year. With representatives from many of the charities in attendance, we presented a check to Justin Johns of Birdies for the Brave. This year's donation of $410,000 was the largest annual donation we've made since our Foundation's inception. The amounts donated to specific charities can be found on our Charities We Support page.

For the last 15 years, Jersey Mike's has been giving back! Their "Month of Giving" philanthropic program raises money for local charities around the country. Each year, throughout the month of March, Jersey Mike's gives its customers the opportunity to round up or donate to the charity selected in their local area. And, on their "Day of Giving" (this year it was March 26th), ALL SALES from that day go to the selected charity. This year, they raised over $31M to help charities like LFWMH. We were humbled to have been selected as this year's local Beaufort County recipient. At LFWMH's Appreciation Night this past May, four members of the Beaufort County, SC Jersey Mike's team were on hand to present a ceremonial check for $50,009.68 — the largest single donation by any one organization since our Foundation's inception. A heartfelt "THANK YOU" to all of the Jersey Mike's customers in the Beaufort County, South Carolina area who supported its "Month of Giving."

Last spring, our Foundation was approached by our local Home Depot sales team with an offer to do something for one of the Wounded Heroes in our area. The idea was to have any Hero in our area submit their request for an improvement project for their home. Our Foundation would then collect the submittals and submit them to Home Depot for selection. The Home Depot team would coordinate with local contractors to complete the project at no charge to the Hero's family. The lucky recipients were Harvey Harris and his wife LaDawn of Hinesville, GA. The project included refacing the cabinets with a new color, new doors, new drawer fronts, and new hardware, along with new countertops and new appliances. To top off the project, the Home Depot team refreshed the front yard with new shrubs and decorative rock! The LFWMH would like to thank the entire Home Depot team for their generosity.

This past May, we released another beer made by supporters of LFWMH with the help of Walt Trafari, Master Brewer and co-owner of Lot 9 Brewing Company. Walt has been a huge supporter of ours even several years before Lot 9 opened its doors. Each year, Lot 9 donates a brewing experience for up to four people to create a unique beer. When ready, Lot 9 and LFWMH host a beer release — public welcome — to experience a one-of-a-kind beer. ALL sales on the day of the release are donated back to LFWMH by Lot 9. After the event, Lot 9 donates a portion of its ongoing sales back to LFWMH until the specially brewed beer sells out. This year, on May 6th, those attending the event were treated to Bravo Echo Echo Romeo (B.E.E.R.) — a blend of American & German hops with brown flaked rice giving it a smooth crisp finish. We're already looking forward to next year's special brew!

On Veterans Day, the Sun City Softball Club usually just sells hot dogs to raise money for their club. This year, they decided to raise additional funds for a deserving charity. To that end, they sold baseball caps, did their research on veterans' groups in the area, and selected LFWMH as the recipient of their $1,060 check. We thank them for selecting the LFWMH to receive this donation.

On December 5, 2024, members of the Young Professional Network of Realtors in the Hilton Head Island area stopped by the LFWMH's December Board meeting to present us with a check for $610 raised from their 50-50 raffle. We thank them for selecting the LFWMH to receive this donation.

LFWMH hosted the Operation Shower "Hello Baby" event as part of the RBC Heritage Tournament Activities. This was our fourth time sponsoring/co-sponsoring this event for military families. We are honored to share a thank you from Operation Shower's Director of Program Outreach, Ginger Shockley: "We did it! With much THANKS to you for all your wonderful help during the Lowcountry Foundation for Wounded Military Heroes baby shower. We, at Operation Shower, truly appreciate all your help, love, and support. We know we cannot do it without people like you. Thank you again for helping us share joy and honor military families."

The organizers of the Crescent community Veteran's Day Golf Tournament, its volunteers, sponsors, donors, and participants continue to increase their support to us. Last year, their net donation to the Foundation was approximately $21,500. "THANK YOU!!" to everyone who helped to make this another great year.