4th Annual Warrior Wishes Scramble Highlights
Operation warrior Wishes would like to thank everyone involved in making our 4th annual warrior Wishes Scramble a HUGE success!!!
From our amazing board members who spent 6 months planning for the outing, to the Volunteers who donated their time to help. From the sponsors & supporters who helped make it possible, to the athletes & celebrities who autographed items for our silent auction. From all the golfers who came out to support our troops, to the troops who came out to have an unforgettable experience. It was a truly amazing day & WE WANT TO THANK YOU ALL!!!
The warriors began to arrive on Sunday morning. This year we had the honor of hosting more than 40 warriors that traveled to Chicago from 27 different states!
After multiple trips to the airports to pick up warriors and bring them back to the hotel, everyone met up in the lobby of the Hampton Inn hotel in Elgin & made their way downtown to Wrigley Field, home of the World Champion Chicago Cubs!
Carlos & the Cubs organization went above and beyond to provide an unforgettable experience & tour of the “friendly confines.” The warriors and their families were escorted down to the field on a private tour & also got to learn more about the history of the Chicago Cubs & Wrigley Field while sitting in the bleachers & watching Kyle Schwarber take BP before the game! Schwarber hit multiple homers into the empty bleachers & I think just about all the warriors got to take home a ball as a souvenir!
After the tour, the warriors took pictures in front of the Wrigley field marquis & with the World Series trophy before heading back to the hotel for the Scramble “pre party.”
This year’s pre party was held at Alley 64 in St Charles for the 2nd year in a row. They provided a delicious dinner and a fun atmosphere to meet up with all the warriors! Everyone had a great time before heading back to the hotel to get ready for our big day!
During a summer that has been filled with rain, floods, heat & humidity, we were very fortunate to have a beautiful day for golf! Our team was up before the sun came up to get the course ready before our guests arrived. Unfortunately, we had some bad luck to start our morning, as Chris got locked out of his car & we got locked out of our trailer (that had all of our signage & supplies for the outing in it)…
Thankfully we were able to find a way inside & got everything out in time to set up before everyone arrived. With limited time to set up, we were very fortunate & thankful to all of the volunteers who helped us get everything organized.
At 7:45 am, the warriors all met up in the lobby of the Hampton Inn & were given a police escort to the Royal Hawk Country Club in St. Charles.
American flags lined the entrance of the country club & were displayed throughout the course. A red carpet welcome awaited the warriors as they arrived. Police officers & firefighters also lined the entrance to welcome the warriors.
After everyone checked in & picked up their 2017 Warrior Wishes golf balls, thanks to Motorola Solutions, they enjoyed breakfast & browsed the silent auction items before making their way out to the patio in the back of the clubhouse for our opening ceremony.
We welcomed everyone in attendance & thanked them for being a part of our 4th annual Warrior Wishes Scramble. The Color Guard presented the Colors & Ashley Victoria sang a beautiful rendition of our National Anthem.
The golfers then made their way to their starting positions & our scramble was underway!
For the most part, golf is a pretty serious sport. It’s a game of concentration & skill. Golf is one of the most frustrating sports out there. That’s why we changed the rules and made our outing more about having fun than being so serious! Here’s a list of the fun & games we had on every hole.
Hole 1 – Impex Beverages provided scotch samples & sold cigars (donated by La Vita) which helped us raise hundreds of dollars! While Ego challenged everyone to putt with a leaf blower.
Hole 2 – our friends at the Snack Factory provided some delicious samples & the hole was sponsored by K&S automotive & Synergy builders.
Hole 3 – closest to the pin challenge sponsored by Our friends at Konicek & Dillon & Alley 64
Hole 4 – Vacationland sponsored our “Long Drive” contest & brought out a trailer to show off.
Hole 5 – sponsored by Country Financial, office of Travis McDonald & Universal Marketing
Hole 6 – this was one of everyone’s favorite hole. Medal of Honor Sponsors, Toppel Plumbing, cooked out for everyone and handed out pulled pork sandwiches & massive brats to all the golfers! YUMMY!!! Elgin Beverage also provided refreshments on this hole.
Hole 7 – Bloomingdale & South Elgin Police sponsored our “Walk the Line” challenge. The player who landed closest to the line won a prize.
Hole 8 – the Bags team challenge was sponsored by RM Designs & Wildwood restaurant. Each team competed to score the most points throwing bags & the winners split the pot.
Hole 9 – Culver’s sponsored the Frozen Custard Frisbee Free Throw. Each team had the opportunity to tee off using a frisbee. They then had the choice between starting from the tee box or from where the frisbee landed.
Halfway through the day, Home Run Inn Pizza delivered hundreds of piping hot pizzas to the course & our amazing volunteers passed them out to the Golfers on the course.
And Elgin Beverage kept everyone hydrated. It was humbling to have Dog Tag brewing Legacy Lagers for all the golfers in attendance.
Hole 10 – Our friend and fellow board member, Don Gaylord & Edward Jones Investments sponsored our “Salute the Troops” hole. The golfers had the opportunity to thank the troops in a video & took a team photo before teeing off.
Hole 11 – The Warrior Wishes Scramble is the only golf outing where you can sit back and relax on a brand new LaZboy chair while playing golf! Everyone had to tee off while sitting in the chair.
Hole 12 – thanks to our friends at Gerald Nissan, the golfers had an opportunity to hit a hole in one for a brand new Subaru Outback on this hole! Unfortunately nobody got an “Ace”…
Hole 13 – This was one of the warriors favorite holes. Our friends at Rocket Fizz were there passing out candy & everyone had the opportunity to shoot a golf ball more than 350 yards down the fairway!
Hole 14 – BMO Global Asset Management sponsored a closest to the pin challenge on this hole. Revolution Brewing provided refreshments.
Hole 15 – VLK law & Roadhouse sponsored the “Wheel of Fortune” on hole 15. Each player tested their luck & spun the wheel. Some had to tee off like Happy Gilmore, others had to tee off wearing oven mitts. There were 8 different “fortunes” & It had people laughing all day long.
Hole 16 – this par 4 gave everyone a moment to reflect on a few brace warriors who made the Ultimate Sacrifice while defending our country. It’s important that we never forget about the sacrifices made! The “Legacy hole” was sponsored by Patriot Landscaping & was by far the most patriotic hole on the course. Hundreds of flags lined the tee box, fairway & green. The Legacy Hole will be a new tradition at our annual Scramble.
Hole 17 – many golfers & warriors walked away with brand new New Era caps on Hole 17. The rules were simple, Land the ball on the green & get a cap! Thanks to New Era & Riteway Electric for sponsoring this hole.
Hole 18 – Sprint & the Gunderson family sponsored the 18th & final hole.
As the golfers made their way off the course & back into the clubhouse, the kids from the School of Rock in Geneva rocked out and provided entertainment until everyone finished up & we started our banquet.
We took time to thank & recognize all the warriors in attendance.
And honored a couple of Gold Star dad’s who shared their sons legacies & educated everyone about the meaning of the Gold Star pin. It was an emotional & powerful presentation that nobody will forget.
“If you ever see someone wearing the Gold Star Pin, thank them for their loved ones service & their family’s sacrifice. Then ask them to tell you something about their loved one.”
Click the photos below to learn more about Sgt Joshua Harris & SSG Jacob Frazier
After our dinner break, we made last call for our silent auction, recognized all of the sponsors, pulled our 50/50 winner & revealed our 2017 Warrior Wishes Champions.
In all, Operation Warrior Wishes raised around $30k to make Warrior Wishes come true! We are so thankful to everyone who helped us make this event a big success!
As you follow us around this season on Facebook, twitter & our blog, know that every smile you see is because of your generosity!
Our 2017 All32in17 mission kicks off on Thursday, August 3rd at the 2017 Hall of Fame Game in Canton, OH. For the 6th straight year, we will be giving back to warriors across the country and hosting them as VIP guests to see their favorite teams in action. You can see the schedule below.
Click the image below to see highlights from our 2017 Battlefields To Ballfields mission.
Thank You again for your support!
TOGETHER WE MAKE WARRIOR WISHES COME TRUE
