Heroes deserve appreciation and heartfelt acknowledgment. Whether they're veterans returning from protecting our liberties abroad, children battling cancer or advocates fighting for grieved families by raising awareness on the dangers of drunk driving, too often the everyday heroes in our lives go uncelebrated. That's why Total Safety organizes its annual Helping Heroes charity event.
Total Safety recently held its 20th annual Charity Golf and Sporting Clays tournament and raised over $250,000 for three charities nearest to its heart: Combat Marine Outdoors, Sky High and Krysta's Karing Angels. Helping Heroes is just a small token of gratitude for the outsized work these charities do, and Total Safety is happy to hold a recurring event that brings together its sponsors, heroes and employees for a good reason -- and for a fun time to boot.
More than $1 million raised
When it began in 1997, Total Safety's Helping Heroes benefit event was just a four-team tourney. Years later, the total proceeds raised during Helping Heroes and donated to the charity have climbed to over $1 million. In that same time, the number of golfers has swelled to 75 teams. And it's not just four-man scrambles spread across two courses and closest-to-the-pin competitions that draw hundreds of attendees. It's also a sporting clays event and a welcome reception -- always a celebratory atmosphere with live entertainment and delicious food where sponsors, heroes and employees can network. The highlight of the reception is the check presentation to the select charities.
Now Helping Heroes routinely draws 300+ participants, which was the case for the 2017, 20th annual event held recently in New Orleans. The growth in donations and participation makes clear the support Total Safety, its partners and employees want to express for these heroes.
"I am extremely grateful for the generous support of our loyal sponsors and this incredibly philanthropic industry," said Paul Tyree, chief operating officer, Total Safety. "The Helping Heroes Charity Golf and Sporting Clays Tournament not only brings together industry leaders and organizations for a day of networking and recreation; it also has purpose and meaning."
About the charities
While golf and sporting clays may be the recreation of the day, the focus on the heroes Total Safety celebrates is never lost. The charities at the heart of Helping Heroes are at the center of the day's events -- from the morning registration and breakfast to out on the course and then celebrating the tournament winners in the afternoon.
The 20th annual Helping Heroes event being held in New Orleans was particularly special for Sky High, which itself was founded in Louisiana. The charity regularly hosts sporting clay competitions in the South and uses those proceeds to directly aid St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in funding research and treatment of pediatric cancer. Sky High also contributes to the Ronald McDonald House in Memphis, Tennessee, which houses families whose children are hospitalized at St. Jude's, and has been able to benefit more than one hospital with the proceeds Total Safety has helped raise.
Combat Marine Outdoors (CMO) began in 2005 and provides outdoor, fishing and hunting opportunities for wounded servicemen and women to help foster camaraderie among veterans recovering from traumatic injuries and also provide them with a wanted escape from medical facilities. Though the 501(c)(3) started out by organizing with injured sailors from the 1st Marine Division, CMO has since expanded its outreach scope to include all severely wounded Marines, Army soldiers, Air Force members, Navy corpsmen and sailors. As noted by the organization, the activities CMO arranges are really the secondary priority to welcoming veterans back into the civilian world in a friendly environment, and one that fosters greater re-entry to society -- a most difficult and commendable task. Thanks to Total Safety and Helping Heroes, CMO has extended its outreach to connect with veterans from the wars in Korea and Vietnam.
The hard work continues with the awareness efforts undertaken by Krysta's Karing Angels. After Krysta Rodriguez, then only 22, was killed in 2010 by a drunk driver three times over the legal limit, her family went to work not only helping to educate teens and others about the dangers of drunk driving but also providing emotional and financial support to families directly affected by a loss. Krysta's Karing Angels tours schools and universities, engaging with students on the preventable tragedies of drunk driving, and has donated to two scholarship programs for families that lost a loved one. In 2017, Krysta's parents Terri and Mark were on hand to receive their check for $70,001, because, as Tyree said when presenting them with the donation, every extra dollar is "worthwhile."
Sponsors and stakeholders show up for heroes
It truly takes a collective effort to organize, manage and promote Helping Heroes, and Total Safety is met with help on every front thanks to the dedication of its partners and sponsors like MSA, Ansell, Littlejohn LLC, JOB Industrial Services, Valero, Accendo International, HollyFrontier, Citizens Commercial Bank and Phillips Service Corp.
"Supporting our local communities is core to our values at Total Safety, and I am humbled and honored by the way in which this event has been embraced over the years," Tyree said. "Together, we are making a real difference in the lives of others, and that's a powerful connection to share."
The inaugural sporting clays tournament that made its debut at the 20th annual Helping Heroes was made possible in particular by the support of Industrial Scientific, Sunbelt Rentals, Monroe Energy, Scott Safety, Flextek Resources, ELF Freight, Rapid MEQ and many others. Helping Heroes would not be the event it is without the support of Total Safety's loyal and generous sponsors, who find value in giving back to the heroes defending our country, the heroes helping children battle life-threatening conditions and the heroes working hard to raise awareness on the dangers of drunk driving.
If you're interested in the 2018 Helping Heroes event to be held Tuesday, May 22 in San Antonio, contact golf@totalsafety.com to learn more.
