K9s For Warriors hosted its inaugural charity golf tournament on Sept. 27 at the newly renovated Ponte Vedra Inn & Club Ocean Course. The event raised $115,000.
Funds raised at the event will support the nonprofit’s growing network of kennels that rescue dogs from high-kill shelters and train them to help mitigate the symptoms of service-related trauma among veterans of all eras.
K9s For Warriors is the nation’s largest provider of trained service dogs to military veterans suffering from PTSD, traumatic brain injury and military sexual trauma.
This mission’s importance was underscored by a 2021 study from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which found that veterans with post-traumatic stress who paired with a service dog showed less suicidal ideation and more symptom improvement compared to veterans paired with an untrained emotional support animal.
“One of our challenges is growing to meet demand from veterans who often must wait for months to pair with a trained service dog,” said Rory Diamond, CEO of K9s For Warriors. “We’ve begun to shorten this wait list thanks to the recent opening of our Petco Love K9s Center in San Antonio and the groundbreaking of our Campus for K9 Operations here in Ponte Vedra. With the community’s considerable support at today’s charity tournament, we intend to continue growing and saving the lives of our nation’s heroes.”
The K9s For Warriors inaugural charity golf tournament was made possible by donors including The Van Berkel Family Foundation, GATE Petroleum Company, Hanania Automotive Group and Wells Fargo.
For further information about K9s For Warriors and opportunities to support its mission, go to k9sforwarriors.org.
