Taking the Green for a Cause

Celebrities and politicians lend their clout to paralyzed veterans

By Caty Gordon

On Monday, May 24, paralyzed veterans, members of Congress and the military, and sports celebrities gathered at Alexandria’s Belle Haven Country Club for the third annual Paralyzed Veterans of America Golf Open led by PGA golf pro Al Fenstomocher. Over $300,000 was raised to benefit Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) and a vocational rehabilitation center in Augusta, Ga., for disabled veterans.

Before teeing off, veterans were recognized by ABC News congressional correspondent Jonathan Karl, who served as master of ceremonies. At his direction, players gathered under the hoods of their golf carts and pulled away from the clubhouse for an afternoon on the green. Guests swung clubs alongside veterans and famous faces, like that of former Philadelphia Eagles player Vince Papale.

“I’m happy to see [the veterans’] smiles and faces. I’m just a guy who got a shot at playing football in Philadelphia,” Papale said. “But these veterans are the courageous ones.”

The veterans gathered on the green unanimously agreed on two things: First, that the primary objective of the event was to have a good time; and secondly, that the veteran unemployment rate of 85 percent must be brought down.

“Approximately eight of every 10 PVA members who are of employment age are involuntarily unemployed. Our biggest initiative at PVA is to decrease the unemployment rate among veterans with disabilities,” said Gene Crayton, former U.S. Navy corpsman and national president of PVA. “We want to hone the skills of our disabled veterans so that they can be more competitive in the workforce.”

The PVA vocational rehabilitation centers develop relationships with employers for disabled veterans to work for when they’re ready. “We partner with agencies and do what we say we will. We give the veterans careers, not just jobs,” said Rick Schiessler, rehabilitation counselor. “Our initiative is to plant a seed of vocational rehabilitation from day one with each veteran. We nurture that seed over time so that they can develop career options.”

Schiessler added that nine of the staff members in former Gov. Tim Kaine’s office were wounded veterans who received their career placement from PVA. In the past, companies have donated resources such as laptops so disabled veterans could learn software codes by their bedside while they were recovering from their injuries. Those same companies later hired such veterans and still employ them today.

To date, the Golf Open has raised over $500,000 for PVA’s vocational rehabilitation services program. The tournament costs were underwritten by Agility Defense and Government Services so that 100 percent of the funds benefitted vocational rehabilitation. “Each year, the Golf Open is more and more successful,” says Crayton. “I hope to see this trend continue for the sake of our veterans.”

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]