2020

Nov. 25, 2020 – Thankful

By Xiomara Spadafora, President and Co-Founder

Martin Luther King Jr. spoke these immortal words: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?”

With this in mind, The Zellner Foundation for Military Vets is thankful because despite the Covid-19 pandemic, we were able to accomplish our goal: assisting veterans in seeking employment, as well as providing financial assistance for others less fortunate, on our first year of operations.

Thanks to our fund-raising effort during the 2020 Charity Golf Tournament, we were able to cover two months of past-due rent for Tony Rossin, Army Veteran, at the beginning of October.

We also had the opportunity to host a lunch for Veterans Day with an incredible group. The round of golf—on the same day as the 245th birthday of the United States Marine Corps—was organized by the Wounded Warrior Project and sponsored by The Golf Club at South Hampton.

During this event, my husband Jeff and I had the privilege of meeting Misty Taylor, twenty year Navy Veteran, who started playing golf as part of her PTSD therapy.

At the of our round, I asked her if she was interested in getting lessons. On November 16th, Misty had her first golf lesson with Rob Bannon—Army Veteran and owner of TPG Golf Performance Center—and her brand new set of clubs, also courtesy of The Zellner Foundation.

And the cherry to top this 2020 Thanksgiving week came Tuesday, November 24th, when we contributed with the down payment for the new car of Navy Veteran, Suzie DeLeon.

A couple of months ago, Suzie was victim of a reckless driver who caused a multiple car crash on I-95, early in the morning on her way to work. Suzie ended up in the ER and her vehicle was totaled.

2020 is a year that altered our lives in countless ways, for better or for worse. Nonetheless, at Zellner Foundation, hope has remained unwavering, and for that, we are immensely grateful.

Happy Thanksgiving.

If you want to support our mission, you can donate here.

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Oct. 9, 2020 – First Charity Golf Tournament

When we set out to plan our first golf outing, we hoped to rally 40 players. Nonetheless, exceeding our expectations, 80 players joined us regardless of a stormy forecast last Friday at South Hampton.

As we finished the check-in process, the rain stopped, and a bright sun welcomed the players to honor our veterans. These are some of the images captured by our volunteer photographers, Diana Blanco and Marshall Waters.

Thank you once again to our amazing sponsors: Zellner Insurance Agency, Guardian Fueling Technologies, Florida Family Insurance, Bank of England Mortgage, Secure SI, Emerald Homes, Bluestar Pet Hospital, Imperial PFS, James J McCall D.D.S. P.A., TPG Golf Performance, and The Golf Club at South Hampton.

See you in 2021!