Welcome to the November issue of our monthly newsletter.  November is truly a month to be thankful as Sunday, November 11th is Veteran's Day and Thursday, November 22nd is Thanksgiving Day.  

Whether in peace or at war, the impor­tant role of our vet­er­ans  

can­not be denied.  They are men and women from all walks of life, but they share one thing in common-a love for this great country. This month we have the priv­i­lege of hon­or­ing this very spe­cial group of Amer­i­cans, whose ser­vice spans every decade of our country's exis­tence.  We owe them a great deal.  Thank you Veteran's - and God bless you! 

ROLLX VANS, POLARIS INDUSTRIES AND MSPACE STEP IT UP FOR ONE MILITARY FAMILY

Tee it up for the Troops cannot thank Rollx Vans, Polaris Industries and Mspace enough for their assistance in getting a wounded warrior and his family to Minnesota for the TIUFTT flagship event!  

Erik Schei and his 50 Cal038

Mike Harris, President of Rollx Vans, a loyal and generous supporter/sponsor has been involved with TIUFTT since 2005. So when we contacted Mike to ask for assistance in providing transportation to one of the wounded warriors and his family, we were not surprised by his answer, "Absolutely!"

Two other loyal and generous supporters of TIUFTT, Polaris Industries and Mspace, also quickly joined in the effort. Ryan Heining, Co-Founder and CEO of Mspace, used personal air miles to make sure the entire family could attend the event. Polaris Industries offered support to the wounded warrior by setting up one of their ATV's to safely support the wheelchair dependent warrior so he could enjoy being on the golf course with his family.  

The Family's Story

The Schei Family, mother Christine, father Gordon, son's Erik and Deven and daughter Anneka, who are originally from Minnesota, know heartache and tough times through tragedy.  

Erik Schei, a 21-year-old Army sergeant serving in Mosul, Iraq in October 2005 was shot in the head by a sniper. The bullet pierced the right side of his helmet and passed through both frontal lobes of his brain.   The good news is Erik is talking again, but he cannot walk. Although, it would appear he has lost much, the love and fortitude of his family blesses him daily. "They gave him zero chance of survival," Erik's father, Gordon Schei, said. "They said if he did survive, he would be a vegetable." They wanted us to pull the plug on him. But we dug deep.

It was news of Erik's injury, that caused his brother Deven to "go back to help finish what his brother started." But on July 2, 2010 Deven also suffered severe injuries when he was hit by a Rocket Propelled Grenade. Deven was lucky in that he did not lose a limb but he suffers from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), has lost his hearing in his left ear and has persistent back problems.

In order for the family to be able to join us at the TIUFTT Mendakota event on September 7th they needed transportation that could get Erik around the cities. As mentioned previously, Rollx Vans "stepped up" to offer their assistance. Rollx Vans not only personally picked the Schei's up at the airport but then handed over the keys for the entire week while they were visiting.

In 2009, a golf simulator was donated to Tee it up for the Troops from Full Swing Golf in partnership with PGA Professional Hunter Mahan.

Initially, TIUFTT planned to try and get the golf simulator installed in the new Walter Reed Hospital, however, due to space limitations we learned we would have to find a different home for the simulator.  

Fast forward to 2010 at a function in Washington, D.C. In a conversation with Elaine Rogers of the USO Elaine asked if we would consider installing the simulator at the new USO. That idea was embraced and we are happy to report it is becoming a reality!  

Brian Arnold and Wes Armstrong of Full Swing Golf based in San Diego have been working with architects and construction teams to help bring this project to fruition.  In addition, PING has agreed to help TIUFTT supply men, women and children clubs so the entire family can participate and Bridgestone Golf has agreed to supply golf balls for the simulator.  

Thank you to all of these individuals and organizations for working together to make this dream a reality! 

We are currently awaiting final dates from the USO for the opening of the new facility.  Keep watching our Facebook page and future newsletters for further updates! 

If you have an interest in supporting our military veterans and their families by hosting a fundraising event, please visit our Organize a Fundraiser page on our website or contact the Tee it up for the Troops national office by sending an email to info@teeitupforthetroops.org.  We will be glad to guide you through the planning and execution of your fundraiser of choice. 

Nancy Christopherson

Executive Director

Tee it up for the Troops, Inc