TEMECULA, Calif. (November 21, 2016) – Forty-five pounds of fun-size candy bars, lollipops and other sweet Halloween treats will soon be sent to U.S. troops overseas and military veterans thanks to 10 very generous children, and other donors. Each child who donated his or her hard-earned Halloween candy was awarded a free golf lesson.
The campaign, called “Candy for Golf,” came to fruition by Journey at Pechanga golf instructor Randy Chang in an effort to teach kids the importance of Veterans Day, how to live a healthy lifestyle, and perhaps most importantly, how to share with others.
“Golf teaches you integrity, honesty and sportsmanship. With this campaign, we thought we’d add sharing into the mix,” said Journey at Pechanga PGA Instructor Randy Chang. “They were encouraged to share some of the candy they’ve earned on Halloween with their military friends across the ocean.”
On the weekends prior to and following Veterans Day on Nov. 11, Journey at Pechanga accepted one full bag or container of Halloween candy from children and teens ages 3-18 years old. Through their generous donations, they were signed up for a free, one-hour golf lesson ($100 value) by the PGA pros at Journey. But, the biggest surprise of all was during the Nov. 5 Tiny Tees lesson. The aspiring golf pros met seven U.S. veterans through the local Veterans Supplemental Support Network (VSSN) who came to visit during the lesson. The kids dished out high fives, gave the veterans some valuable pointers on their golf game and shared their Halloween candy.
“I love the fact that Candy for Golf allowed children to see veterans,” said Sargent Frank Williams, U.S. Army Veteran. “You hear about veterans all the time and see us on the news, but you seldom get to see us in person and in uniform.”
If you’d like to donate items to our troops overseas, visit OperationGratitude.com/WishList to view a list of items in need. Operation Gratitude regularly sends care packages with these items, including knit hats, scarves, new DVDs, CDs, video games, lip balm, roll-on deodorant, individually packaged razors, pens, shaving cream, travel-sized board games, Halloween candy, t-shirts, baseball hats, and more.
Veterans Supplemental Support Network (VSSN) provides assistance to service connected and veteran families who are at risk for homelessness, low income or in hardship. To donate, visit vetsupportnet.org and click the “donate” button on any page. To learn more about the group, VSSN welcomes new volunteers and encourages attendance at upcoming events.
For lessons, packages and to schedule a round of golf at Journey at Pechanga, call 866.991.PARR (7277) to book your tee time.