Jorge Guerrero named Veteran of the Year
Dataw Island veterans and guests gather for the flag ceremony.
Once again, Dataw Island members and supporters presented an amazing week-long celebration of service to benefit wounded veterans. Together, the events raised nearly $70,000 to benefit Tee It Up for the Troops and local veterans organizations!
“Every year our members come together in support of veterans, and every year they outdo themselves,” says General Manager Ted Bartlett. “The sacrifices made to present all these events and the fundraising efforts are simply phenomenal.”
It all began about seventeen years ago when the Dataw Men’s Golf Association was considering a charitable organization for a golfing event. The celebration then included a tournament, a dinner, and a short program around the flagpole where residents were inspired to remember and recognize all veterans. This activity soon morphed into a much larger event resulting in financial support to veteran service organizations such as Wounded Warriors, Folds of Honor, and others, and hence the Dataw Veterans Golf Classic was formed.
Veteran of the Year, Jorge Guerrero, receiving the Quilt of Valor
In 2017, the event chair teamed with Tee It Up for the Troops (TIUFTT), a highly regarded non-profit whose vision is “to help active-duty service members, veterans and their families from all branches and all conflicts to heal, transition, grow and thrive.” And they have accomplished just that, impacting the lives of 304,595 heroes, through 690 events, donating over $15,000,000 to partnering veteran support organizations that direct grants for critical areas of need. Partner organizations are held accountable for the use of donated funds, some of which are groups in our own backyard. We recognize that when people donate to organizations, they want to make sure their hard-earned money is making a difference. TIUFTT is committed to being a good steward of the funds entrusted to them, and they have been awarded a perfect rating by three third-party nonprofit watchdogs – Charity Navigator, GreatNonprofits, and GuideStar.
This Veterans’ Week, Dataw Island members raised nearly $70,000. In addition to the substantial donation to the Tee It Up for the
Event Chairs Phil and Mary Marshall
Troops organization, Dataw donations also benefited local and regional veteran’s organizations such as Disabled American Veterans Chapter 12, PGA Reach Carolinas, PGA HOPE Charleston, Fischer House Charleston, Fairway for Warriors, BMH Adaptive Golf Experience (Parris Island), Adaptive Golf Savannah, and Leases of Valor.
“We should never forget the service and sacrifice of the many brave men and women of the Armed Forces whose needs can never be fully met by our nation,” says event chair Phil Marshall. “I am grateful that again this year Dataw showed tremendous support for this significant annual fundraiser to help deliver critical services to our beloved veterans.”
A VERY special Thank You to ALL of the volunteers, especially our Event Chairs, Phil and Mary Marshall.
