Volume 1 | Issue 1 | Fall 2021
Welcome to Our First Issue
Message from the Executive Director, Brian K. Hicks
We’re Grateful for Your Support
Thank you 
for being part of our supportive audience sharing our mission and passion to help combat-wounded veterans and their families.
As we prepare to begin our 12th year in operation, it is important to reflect upon not only our journey to date but also the positive impact we have collectively made on the lives of many. The generosity and support of our sponsors and partners have enabled our ability to not only grow in size and scope but to develop meaningful and significant relationships that have secured the continuation of our mission to this twelve-year milestone.
Our core mission is to combat the high suicide rate that has stricken our nation’s military veterans. We use the game of golf as a platform to get veterans together promoting camaraderie and brotherhood which helps with the physical, mental, social, and emotional rehabilitation needs of those suffering from seen and unseen wounds. The horrific effect of war is not limited to military veterans. It also encumbers their family and friends which is why we include family in our program and services.
Your donations provide access to valuable resources that enhance and change lives. For every $1,000 donated, we can provide eight therapy sessions or a mental health golf clinic for approximately thirty combat veterans and their families.
We gratefully appreciate your partnership and help to raise awareness to others of this epidemic and for the benefits of hope and healing that it provides.
Thank you and best regards,
Brian
First Annual Gala Shines Spotlight on Donors and Sponsors
Orlando Chapter Hosts First Annual Sponsor Appreciation Gala
On Veterans Day, November 11, FFW hosted the first annual Sponsor Appreciation Gala at the Eagle Creek Golf Club in Orlando, FL. The event was dedicated to honoring the many sponsors and supporters whose financial support enables the organization to fulfill its mission to assist combat-wounded veterans and their families.
In order to accomplish our mission, Fairways for Warriors seeks opportunities to partner with businesses and other foundations to assist us with the needed, services, products, time, and financial resources needed to fulfill this vision. Sponsors and donors are critical to our success and we value your continued support.
11th Annual Golf Tournament Raises $150K
GOLF TOURNAMENT EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS
11th Annual Golf Tournament Huge Success
For the 11th year, Fairways for Warriors Orlando Chapter has hosted its annual Golf Tournament and this year, exceeded expectations raising more than $150K.
“I am incredibly proud to see what we were able to accomplish. I am so fortunate to have the family, friends, and colleagues in my life that share my passion for supporting our combat-wounded veterans. Thank you all for helping us make a difference in their lives,” says Chris Baeten, CEO of Knight Federal Solutions (Golf Tournament Chair and FFW Board Member).
To learn more about our upcoming events or to become a sponsor, visit our golf events page.
Chapter Update
FFW EXPANDS CHAPTER ACROSS THE US
Chapter Growth Continues
Fairways for Warriors is making an impact. Currently, as of 2020, there are now 1500+ combat veterans on the roster with nine chapters in five states: four chapters in Florida, one in North Carolina, two in Virginia, one in Arizona, and one in Texas. Our chapter growth target is to have ten locations in place and running by the end of 2025.
FFW is working to reduce the number of veteran suicides, save marriages, and enhance the quality of life of its members through its programs and services. Through ongoing events, we promote camaraderie, fellowship, and spiritual growth to give hope and healing to our nation’s combat veterans.
To learn more about our chapters, please visit our link below.
22 A Day Movement
FFW DEDICATED TO ADDRESSING SUICIDE PREVENTION
Eradicating Veteran Suicide
Every day, 22 veterans take their own lives. That’s a suicide every 65 minutes. As shocking as the number is, it may actually be higher.
Nearly one in five suicides nationally is a veteran, even though veterans make up about 10% of the U.S. population, according to some statistics.
We grieve at the loss of every veteran to suicide. We recognize the work that needs to be done, and we welcome broad partnership and collaboration toward eradicating veteran suicide through hope and healing with our programs and support. To find out more about how we help, visit the link below.
Donate Today – Your Financial Gift Continues All Year Through
FFW NEEDS FUNDS TO CONTINUE ITS MISSION
Providing Hope and Healing
One in five returning combat veterans is diagnosed with severe post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. PTSD as well as mild to moderate traumatic brain injuries cause damage to the frontal lobe. This damage causes loss in fine motor skills, problem-solving, memory, judgment, social behavior and increases sorrow, sadness, and anger.
Founded in 2010, Fairways for Warriors is focused on helping combat wounded warriors with their mental and physical rehabilitation. A combat-wounded warrior is defined by FFW as anyone who has served in a combat theater whether a physical injury was sustained or not. Studies have shown that invisible wounds are usually more difficult to overcome. FFW welcomes combat veterans from any era and has many Vietnam Veterans in its program. The game of golf is used as one of the ways to accomplish its mission.
Recreational therapy has been proven as an adjunct to clinical therapies, and in many cases, successful in its own right as a treatment protocol. We have found that the camaraderie and challenges of golf, provide a bridge into a new way of life. This popular sport provides crucial opportunities necessary for each combat-wounded veteran’s journey towards rehabilitation and healing. Golf is beneficial for the physical, cognitive, emotional, and social aspects of each combat-wounded veteran’s rehabilitation process.
FFW creates a community where the combat veterans and their families know that help is available for all their life challenges – being available 24/7 to talk, meeting with veterans for lunch or coffee, playing golf when they are having a bad day, helping one another with childcare, yard work, or moving. This reflects the same community veterans had in the military. To learn more about how you can help us accomplish our mission, please visit our website or donate today at the link below. Your financial support matters.
Fairways for Warriors
fairwaysforwarriors.org
Founded in 2010 as a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization, Fairways for Warriors is dedicated to combating veteran suicides by providing hope, healing, and camaraderie for combat-wounded veterans and their families. We use the game of golf as a platform to engage the veteran in our comprehensive program of support including exercise, professional therapy, counseling, and building community support while reducing the impact of post-traumatic stress from military service. With nine chapters across the country, programs and services are offered to help combat wounded warriors with their mental, physical, emotional, and social rehabilitation in a variety of ways.
The 8th Annual Veterans Day Golf Tournament hosted by Fairways For Warriors on November 9, 2018, was a success netting $55,000 that will be used to help combat veterans from all wars and conflicts for golf instruction, family support, and future events. Fairways For Warriors invited new members to come out to Eagle Creek Golf Club in Orlando, Florida, for the very first time to experience the bonds of camaraderie on the links. In addition to the familiar faces and a wealth of volunteers, an eagle named Thunder sat stoically on her perch overlooking the 18th hole. Her presence embodied the American spirit, a metaphor for the overall event. Everyone from golfers to volunteers wanted to take a picture with her at the instruction of her handler David Redd, though there was restraint as this 25-year-old apex predator wasn’t intimidated by anyone.
On this hot sunny Friday, 20 veterans paired into foursomes of 144 total golfers and they spent time joking, reminiscing about shared combat experiences, and focusing on the task of playing golf with their fellow brothers and sisters. This unity that golf provides allows veterans to not think about their disabilities and injuries, rather to put that time and energy into the sport and come together to make new memorable experiences. One Fairways For Warriors veteran named Ryan Leighton gave a testimonial later in the day and said, “The goal is to never have others know something happened to us”.
After all the teams finished their round of golf, everyone piled into the clubhouse where they were served a buffet-style lunch. The live auction followed lunch and offered unique prizes from a Scotty Cameron Newport Putter to signed frames from many legendary courses including the Old Course St Andrews. A three-day two-night vacation package in New Smyrna Beach, FL, and smaller items like golf covers and Callaway golf balls were some of the other great options to bid on.
