Birdies for the Brave Golf Tournament Series in Full Swing

Fundraising events benefit Navy SEAL Foundation

(Virginia Beach, Va., Nov. 7, 2011) — Keeping your golf swing in shape while providing peace of mind to a military family; does it get any better than that for a lover of the links?

When PGA TOUR Player Phil Mickelson, and his wife Amy, developed the concept for Birdies for the Brave, a national golf tournament fundraising series, that combination of sportsmanship and philanthropy was born.

According to PGA TOUR spokesman Marc Raiken, the golfing organization was working on a program raising funds for military families back in 2004. Pro golfers Jerry Kelly, Vijay Singh and Frank Lickliter II, came to them asking that the Navy SEAL Foundation be a focus of the PGA TOUR’s fundraising efforts. They brought the Navy SEAL Foundation into the program, according to Raiken.

And Birdies for the Brave, as a benefit for the Navy SEAL Foundation, was born.

Throughout the year, tournaments are open to golfers of all skill and ranking at PGA TOUR-owned courses around the country, providing an opportunity to play and support the families of Navy SEALs and their support units.

"The support of the PGA TOUR is incredible," says Kristi Cummings who runs this initiative for the Navy SEAL Foundation. "Their commitment and dedication to our military personnel is inspiring."

Each PGA TOUR course develops its own tournament for the program. An open invitation to golfers in the surrounding communities is offered, bringing in players who might not otherwise have a chance to play a PGA TOUR course.

A day at Birdies for the Brave starts with breakfast or lunch, an opening ceremony honoring service members, the tournament, lunch or dinner, awards and a fundraising auction.

So while a golfer is playing his favorite game on a world-class course and enjoying the festivities surrounding the event, he’s supporting members of the Naval Special Warfare community and their families.

According to Cummings, members of the Naval Special Warfare community put their lives on the line to conduct high-risk and clandestine military operations around the world. Where they go and what they are doing is information kept from their families, and that can be taxing, not knowing the potential fate of a loved one. For those professionals in the field, there is a peace of mind knowing that an organization such as the Navy SEAL Foundation is taking care of the family while they are off serving their country.

“Because the Navy SEAL Foundation exists,” says Cummings, “the community can deploy with a much greater peace of mind, knowing there is a support network at home.”

Cummings sees the foundation at work every day—from the children who are being given an opportunity at a normal life while a parent is deployed, to a father who is comforted after losing a son whose life was taken while serving his country.

The Navy SEAL Foundation’s mission is to support the Naval Special Warfare community during times of both adversity and achievement. This includes everything from administering tragedy assistance services to families during troubled times to hosting special family events, offering educational opportunities and initiating projects that honor warriors.

Ninety-five cents of every dollar spent by the Foundation directly supports these services. So getting out to a Birdies for the Brave tournament for a round of golf is bound to change a life.

“Let’s not forget these guys,” says Cummings. “It’s important to remember who made these sacrifices and our Naval Special Warfare community.”

For a listing of Birdies for the Brave tournaments, click here.

About the Navy SEAL Foundation

The Navy SEAL Foundation provides support in times of adversity and achievement to U.S. Navy SEALs, Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen, Naval Special Warfare support personnel and their families. The foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, was formed in 2000 and underwent a name change in January 2011 when The SEAL-Naval Special Warfare Foundation and the Navy SEAL Warrior Fund combined their organizations. The mission of the Navy SEAL Foundation is to provide immediate and ongoing support and assistance to the Naval Special Warfare community and their families. The Navy SEAL Foundation is headquartered in Virginia Beach, Va., at the SEAL Heritage Center, Joint Expeditionary Base, Little Creek. Information is available at www.navysealfoundation.org and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/navySEALfoundation.