Association aids troops overseas

  The Association donated to non-profit organization Bunkers in Baghdad, based in Buffalo, N.Y., by sending about 36 clubs and 2,000 golf balls. It will also donate over three dozen clubs and 500 balls to Sgt. Golf, a non-profit organization based in St. Petersburg, Fla.

  The clubs and balls earmarked for both organizations come from association members and member clubs.

  “The Golf Association of Philadelphia is just happy to give a little something back to the men and women who are serving our country in the armed services and especially to the injured veterans who have sacrificed for us,” GAP President Richard P. Meehan Jr. said.

  The Association aims to reach out to men and women in the armed services who are stationed overseas. After an extensive search, it found two organizations in Bunkers and Baghdad and Sgt. Golf that share its mission — to promote, protect and preserve the game of golf.

  The Association will continue to find ways to help troops overseas.

  Bunkers in Baghdad

  Joe Hanna first learned of troops playing golf in Afghanistan while watching “60 Minutes.”

  “I said to myself, ‘That’s really cool,’” he said.

  Hanna, a lawyer from Buffalo, N.Y., didn’t give the story a second thought until he saw a similar story in Golf Magazine.

Troops often hit balls into the desert or Tigris River.

  So, Hanna started Bunkers in Baghdad in November 2008. The non-profit organization collects and sends new and used golf balls, clubs and equipment to troops currently serving in combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan. Most of the balls are hit into the desert, Tigris River or other dangerous areas and can never be retrieved again.

  To date, Bunkers in Baghdad has collected about 120,000 golf balls and 60,000 golf clubs.

  “It’s overwhelming. It’s unbelievable,” Hanna said. “It makes you feel like you’re doing a good deed.”

  Hanna doesn’t have any close friends or relatives serving overseas; he just wanted to give back to his country.

  “I’m just a patriotic American,” Hanna said.

  As a non-profit organization, Bunkers in Baghdad relies on contributions from the community. To raise awareness, the group held a collection at the Rochester Golf Show, and it will hold another one at the Buffalo Golf Show later this month.

  “Because of our exposure on the news and newspapers, people have sent us charitable donations,” Hanna said. “One hundred percent of the monies raised go out to our troops. Every penny helps.”

  Getting a non-profit organization off the ground was challenging, according to Hanna.

  “I’m a partner at a growing law firm. More so than anything, it’s time,” he said. “It takes up a lot of your time.”

   Bunkers in Baghdad has inspired more troops overseas to take up golf, according to Hanna. A group of troops, he added, is currently looking to build a nine-hole mini-course.

  “We’ve enthused them,” Hanna said.

  Aside from sending golf supplies to troops overseas, Bunkers in Baghdad also aids veterans returning home. The organization works with Wounded Warrior Programs throughout the country, including the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the Ft. Lauderdale Veteran Outreach Program and the National Amputee Golf Association.

   Bunkers in Baghdad works with area school districts as well. Students write letters to decorate and pack boxes of golf balls and fundraise to sponsor the shipping costs of their boxes, Hanna said.

  “They’re a key part in all of this,” he added.

  Through Bunkers in Baghdad, Hanna hopes to eventually collect one million golf balls by the end of the year.

  “As long as there are golf balls and golf clubs coming in the door, I’ll do this as long as possible,” he said. “This is a phenomenal cause. When I get the e-mails, the cards and the thank yous, it’s very fulfilling.”

  For more information on Bunkers in Baghdad, or to make a donation, visit www.bunkersinbaghdad.com.

  Sgt. Golf

  Golf can be the best treatment for injured veterans, according to Scott Colton.

  “It changes peoples’ perspective — their whole mental outlook,” he said. “It allows them to get outside instead of being cramped up. I’m trying to get people back on their feet.”

  Colton founded Sgt. Golf — a “golf rehabilitation organization” for veterans — in October 2006. It offers four programs, depending on the severity of injury, Colton said.

  Colton, a disabled veteran, served four years in the Army and two years in the Navy. He started Sgt. Golf after a similar organization, which, Colton said, no longer exists, helped him “tremendously in golf.”

  To date, Sgt. Golf has received about $50,000-worth of donated golf equipment.

  “I didn’t realize how big it was going to get,” Colton said. “It’s expanding by leaps and bounds. Everywhere I turn, there are people willing to help.”

  As of February 2009, Sgt. Golf has seen about 300 veterans use one of its programs, Colton said. Participants can play golf and rehabilitate at their own pace.

  “We have different ranges and courses that we use. Two nights a week, there’s a clinic that we put on,” Colton said.

  Aside from helping veterans rehabilitate through the game of golf, Sgt. Golf, like Bunkers in Baghdad, sends equipment to troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. The organization collects clubs, balls, bags and equipment — new or used.

  “We are not asking for cash,” Colton said.

  Colton enjoys “making a difference” with Sgt. Golf. He hopes to continue the organization “as long as he can.”

  “For the foreseeable future, I really enjoy it,” Colton said. “I wish we could help more people.”

  For more information on Sgt. Golf, or to make a donation, visit www.sgtgolf.org.