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A few words from Joe Hanna, President and Founder of Bunkers in Baghdad, explaining the story of how we got here:
I was watching 60 Minutes one evening and noticed that one of the stories featured our soldiers hitting golf balls in the desert. I said to myself “that is pretty cool” and then forgot about it. Shortly thereafter I read an article by David Feherty in Golf Magazine that detailed his experiences on a USO tour in Iraq and Kuwait and featured the opening of a driving range at Camp Victory in Iraq. I learned from the article that there are actually numerous makeshift driving ranges throughout Iraq as golf has become a favorite form of stress relief for the soldiers stationed there. I then thought to myself that the least I can do is collect some golf balls and some golf clubs. A short time later – that “some” has turned into over 1,000,000 golf balls and over 40,000 clubs, with more arriving daily.
The purpose of Bunkers in Baghdad is simple – we collect new and used golf balls and golf clubs and then ship them overseas to soldiers stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have reached out to many national golf corporations, golfers on both the LPGA and PGA tours, national golf associations, golf course from around the country, including many from right here in Western New York, local and national golf retailers, local school districts and individuals, to help further our Bunkers mission. The response has simply been overwhelming.
Our first official shipment of golf balls went out in November 2008 to reach Iraq in time for the holidays. Our inaugural shipment was made even more special by the fact that it was coordinated and packaged by students from the Williamsville Central School District. In addition to raising money to ship each box directly through the United States Postal Service, the students packed each box with balls, holiday cards and letters they wrote to the soldiers. Our “Bunkers Buddies” program is especially rewarding not only for the soldiers, but for the students themselves. They are truly excited about public service and want to give back to our troops in their own special way. To date, we’ve shipped over 630,500 golf balls and 20,000 clubs to Iraq and Afghanistan, with more on the way.
Recently, we’ve expanded the Bunkers program to include injured veterans who are currently recovering in the Wounded Warriors program at Walter Reed Army Medical Center to help with the rehabilitation and as a form of recreation. Also, as you can imagine, the families of the troops at Walter Reed spend day and night with their injured loved ones. Because of this, Walter Reed has set up a therapy program for the families which we will also be contributing to. We are currently working with other rehabilitation centers, the Fisher House, and other veterans programs throughout the United States to expand this important part of our program. We have already distributed over 438,000 golf balls and 15,000 golf clubs to programs across the country.
Thank you for making 2009 a spectacular year for Bunkers in Baghdad! We plan on making 2010 even better. We will be partnering with several major golf associations as well as hopefully opening collection points at different golf and sporting goods retailers throughout the country. Bunkers in Baghdad is run 100% on donations - from the equipment that is generously donated to the funds required to pay for shipping to our troops. We plan on holding several fundraisers throughout the year to raise money to help cover shipping and packaging costs so we can keep sending equipment out. We welcome individuals and organizations that would like to join with us as fundraising partners to help us in our mission.
Bunkers in Baghdad, Inc. is a tax exempt 501(c)(3) public charity.
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Joseph Hanna
President and Founder
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