HAPPY 4th of July!
Celebrate our freedoms with loved ones and sport your red, white, and blue while flying your American flag.
THE 7th annual Patriot Golf Day for Folds of Honor, presented by American Interiors on June 24 at Inverness Club, honored servicemen’s sacrifices while educating those still with us on their legacy.
The Folds chapter has raised over $2 million dollars in educational scholarships for military and first responder families whose loved ones have paid the ultimate sacrifice or been severely disabled.
With over 240 million calls made to 9-1-1 each year, Folds of Honor stands with the brave Americans that protect our families: 800,000 law enforcement officers, 1,062,800 firefighter personnel, and 241,000 full-time EMT and paramedics.
It is rated 4 out of 4 stars by Charity Navigator.
There are more than 1 million disabled and fallen service members affected by war. Nearly 2 million dependents of military heroes are adversely affected by war. More than $9 billion is the cost to provide educational scholarships to the dependents.
The golf day started with an opening ceremony which included the two guests who parachute jumped tandem with a retired Navy SEAL team. Other participants were the 180th Fighter Wing of the Ohio Air National Guard, the Toledo Firefighters Pipes and Drums, and Mike Williams , who sang the national anthem and “America the Beautiful.” Also present were the Color Guard from the Ohio Air National Guard, TSgt. Jessica Hagerty who sang “God Bless America,” David Tippett , who performed the Honor Guard “TAPS,” and the Toledo Police Department which performed a Patriot Parachute Team Rifle Salute.
The shotgun start for golf was at noon. Meanwhile, a ladies golf clinic was hosted by PGA Professional, Patrick Kane .
A ladies lounge offered cocktails and hors d’oeuvres as guests met featured speaker Rachel Faulkner Brown , Gold Star wife and mother, and Freida Rothman , nationally-known jewelry designer. Freida’s grandparents were Holocaust survivors and she was inspired by them to design a collection of jewelry honoring strong women. She gifted Rachel a bracelet to honor her sacrifices for our freedom. There were also Merle Norman Cosmetics and C Sterling Jewelers.
Golfers returned from the links, a cocktail hour was followed by the dinner and program.
Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur honored Gilbert Sonnenberg , World War II veteran and Napoleon resident, with an official Certificate of Congressional Recognition.
She also honored our American Interiors chapter founder, Steve Essig , with an American flag that was flown at our state’s capitol.
Special guest of honor was Harold Hoffman , World War II veteran and 1943 graduate of Central Catholic High School.
Folds of Honor Founder Lt. Col. Dan Rooney , sees his calling as “inspiring people to help people.'' He said it is our duty to honor the sacrifices of those who preserve the freedoms we so easily take for granted.
He has addressed over 1,000 corporations and groups across America.
And as a Class A Member of the PGA, he founded two nationally ranked golf clubs, The Patriot Golf Club in Tulsa, Okla., and American Dunes Golf Club in Grand Haven, Mich. in collaboration with Jack Nicklaus .
He is a frequent guest of national media including podcasts, radio, and network television and has been recognized as a hero of the year by People Magazine, Money Magazine, and ABC World News Tonight. Colonel Rooney has continued his military service after 3 combat tours to Iraq. Rooney is a two-time recipient of the Top Gun award and has received numerous other military commendations as well as the recipient of the White House’s “Presidential Volunteer Service Award” by President George W. Bush , and many others including the Ellis Island “Medal of Honor." Colonel Rooney lives in Owasso, Okla. with his wife and five daughters.
Faulkner Brown, a mom of two teenagers, both Folds of Honor scholarship recipients, talked of her experiences.
As a Folds of Honor speakers bureau director, she is founder of Be Still Ministries and Never Alone Widows, which hosts retreats to help women and widows. Her late husband, United States Air Force Major David “Blair” Faulkner perished in a plane crash.
Remembered was Gary “Andy” Eckert, Jr., of Toledo, a graduate of Anthony Wayne High School, who was a member of the 983rd Engineer Battalion, U.S. Army Reserve based in Monclova, Ohio. After his second Iraq deployment he died at the age of 24 of injuries sustained. He is survived by his wife Tiffany Anne Miramontes and two children, Marlee Freedom , a Central Catholic graduate, and Myles Manning , an Anthony Wayne High School graduate, who both receive educational scholarships each year along with their mother, to Bowling Green State University.
Yes, it was a very patriotic day, full of remembrances of those who lost their lives while fighting for our freedoms.
After such a moving program, a live auction of golf experiences around the country drew high bids for a worthy cause. An estimated $330,000 was raised for this year's event.
Thanks go to the nearly 100 sponsors including Owens Corning, Spartan, Live Love Serve Foundation, and Ken Rusk .
HAVE a safe holiday!
Barbara Hendel is The Blade's society editor. Contact her at bhendel@theblade.com or call 419-724-6124.
Most Popular
Comments / 0