Zellner Foundation for Military Vets

April 6, 2023

We Reached the 50 Milestone!

We proudly announce that The Zellner Foundation has reached the 50-beneficiary Milestone!!! U.S. Navy Veteran Tayden Haile and one of his seven adopted children, fifteen-year-old Sincere, received their golf club sets and first private lesson with PGA Professional Raymond Barr at Jacksonville Golf and Country Club.

March 10, 2023March 14, 2023

2023 THE PLAYERS Military Appreciation Highlights Zellner Foundation

March 7th, 2023. The Zellner Foundation was recognized at this year’s edition of the Military Appreciation Day at THE PLAYERS Championship by Dan Hicks, NBC Broadcaster, in front of thirty thousand people. Our mission was named next to Wounded Warrior Project, K9s For Warriors, Blue Star Families, and other veteran serving organizations.

Become a Corporate Sponsor

We welcome companies committed to advancing diversity and inclusion initiatives. More than 60% of our beneficiaries are minorities who never imagined playing golf. Support our mission and share your love of golf with Military Veterans and their children. Click here to learn more or call 904.832.1586

December 19, 2022January 10, 2023

Milestones 2020 – 2022

June 30, 2022May 25, 2023

Why Support The Zellner Foundation?

Click HERE to learn more. You can also call 904-832-1586 or email zellnerfoundation@gmail.com to get more information about the different ways you can support our mission.

Follow Our Mission

Four of our female veterans, our Mama Kim and a future birdie, joined our President, Xiomara Spadafora, at @topgolf for an afternoon of food, laughs, and good practice. Even though golf is an individual sport, it is a lot more fun when you play with your buddies. If you want to support our mission to empower disabled and PTSD diagnosed military veterans to improve their mental health on Florida’s First Coast click our bio link ⬆️ or visit 💻 zellnerfoundation.com This event was sponsored by Southern Waters Pools of Jacksonville #militaryfemalevets #femalevets #thankyouforyourservice #femalestrenght #realwomen #femalegolfers #willofirongolfprogram #femalenonprofit #femaleboss

When we met U.S. Army Veteran Mark Phillips at Cimarrone Golf & Country Club for his first golf lesson with PGA Professional Paul Powers from TPG, we chatted while he wore an Iron-Man-type computerized leg brace. He explained it was the first of its kind in town after going through a three-year process with the VA. Then, when Paul asked him about the limitation of his leg for the swing, Mark responded, “My swing is all arms.” That is the beauty of golf. It can adapt to the needs of disabled veterans who love the game and want to be part of it, no matter what. If the ball is in the fairway, who will dare criticize how it got there? We salute Mark for his sixteen years of service to our nation and hope to see him hit his new golf clubs with his unique swing down the middle.

We had the pleasure of meeting U.S. Navy Veteran Terri Torres at the PGA Golf Academy for her first lesson with PGA Senior Certified Instructor Rhonda Ferguson. Terri served seven years as Hospital Corpsman and surgical technologist, reaching the rank E-5 in three years and commanding 42 sailors as leading Petty Officer. She finished her service as HM2 and went back to school to become a nurse using her GI Bill. She currently works at the Naval Hospital because she “loves taking care of her fellow service members.” We salute Terri for her service to our nation and her continuous service to her fellow sailors.

The first week of May is heating up! Not just because of the rising temperatures in Jacksonville but because we are bringing more women into our golf programs. First, we met ten-grader Kirsten Smith, who became Birdie # 17. Her father, Timothy Smith, is a U.S. Army Ranger Veteran who counts several deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait over thirty years of federal DOD service. He currently works for the Defense Logistics Agency as a project manager in compliance from Puerto Rico to the Carolinas. When we asked him why he wanted his daughter to participate in the Birdies of Eagles Golf Program, he replied–with fatherly wisdom: “mainly for the discipline it takes, the focus and concentration and ultimately to recognize to depend on and trust yourself for success. ” One hour later, we had the pleasure to meet U.S. Navy Veteran Chasity Reed (MSN, RN, AMB-BC.) She retired Navy Nurse with twenty-five years of active service. Chasity is a Certified Ambulatory Care Nurse and has a Master of Science in Nursing with a focus on Informatics. She currently works in a Post-Anesthesia Care Unit. Chasity told us that she had wanted to learn golf for years but never had the time. She says, “Golf is fun and allows me to relax while learning.“ Both ladies received their golf club sets and first private lesson with PGA Professional Raymond Barr at Jacksonville Golf and Country Club. We are thrilled to add more female touch and glamour to our mission. Thank you to our Platinum Sponsors for making this possible: Wounded Warrior Project SecureSI James J. McCall, DDS, PA Guardian Fueling Technologies, LLC GeoPoint Surveying Zellner Insurance Agency FCBI Fund, and SecureSI, and James J. McCall DDS. If you want to support the Will of Iron and Birdies of Eagles Golf Programs click our bio link ⬆️ or 💻visit https://zellnerfoundation.com/donate/

Today we had the honor to meet a soon-to-be U.S. Navy Veteran who has served 30 of his 48 years of life. Chief Warrant Officer 4 Josue Fernandez began his military career in Puerto Rico and has deployed twelve times to serve our country around the world. He was referred to the Zellner Foundation by one of our beneficiaries, who has been mentoring him in separating from the military and dealing with PTSD. He received a new Subtle Patriot golf bag and set of clubs before starting his private lessons. Josue is a father of five, excited to enjoy the next chapter of his life as a civilian. Nonetheless, he is actively preparing for the void he will endure once the uniform comes off. Undoubtedly his wife Kristine, a chemical engineer who runs their Mathnasium of Ortega franchise, and his three youngest children will keep him sharp. We salute Josue for his thirty years of devoted service to our nation, the maximum term law allows.

What better way to celebrate our mission than a golf day at South Hampton with Veterans and civilians? Participants shared a great day filled with sunshine, laughter, and challenges. We thank Southern Waters Pools of Jacksonville for their unwavering support and sponsoring this special event. The race to reach 100 veterans is on! If you want to support the Will of Iron Golf Program, click our bio link ⬆️ or visit 💻 zellnerfoundation.com #ZF50 #Milestones #gratitude

When we met Sol and Alexandria Greear (U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force Veterans, respectively) we knew they had a unique story. First, we learned that Sol’s golf clubs were stolen, which had impacted his mental health recovery after the military. Then, we received their bios and discovered their love for the military was in their DNA. Both are children of mothers and fathers who served our country faithfully. Alexandria’s parents are both U.S. Air Force Veterans, and Sol’s parents are U.S. Army Veterans.

At the end of February, we started working on spreading our wings to service Military Veterans in Pensacola thanks to our first beneficiary in the area, U.S. Army Vet Josh Matson. He led the way in establishing the relationship with Professional Golf Instructor Grant McCormick at Lost Key Golf Club in Perdido Key. Committed to this new venture, The Zellner Foundation hit the road for three days and delivered in person the new golf clubs to Josh’s nine-year-old son Bryce Matson. He became our first Birdie in Pensacola and will start his private lessons next week with Grant. We also had the pleasure of meeting other military veterans at a Wounded Warrior Project event who reinforced the need for our mission in that neck of the woods. Therefore, we will do everything possible to let them know they are not forgotten.

We proudly announce that The Zellner Foundation has reached the 50-beneficiary Milestone!!! Yesterday, U.S. Navy Veteran Tayden Haile and one of his seven adopted children, fifteen-year-old Sincere, received their golf club sets and first private lesson with PGA Professional Raymond Barr at Jacksonville Golf and Country Club. Tayden joined the Navy at the age of twenty in 1998. With a few years of college under his belt, he made the transition to military life. He was stationed in Yokosuka, Japan, and later Bahrain for a year. Tayden served in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. In his own words: “I had the honor of being a part of the 7th fleet, the first Naval Fleet to respond to the attacks of 9/11. I am now married to my beautiful wife of fifteen years. We have seven adopted children and seven dogs. I spend my time now not serving my country but still serving the community. I am so honored to receive the privilege of learning golf alongside one of my sons. We thank you, Zellner Foundation, for this great opportunity.” We salute Tayden for his service to our nation and hope to see another one of his children become Birdies of Eagles.

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