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Jacob Tamme expects Monday¿s third annual Swings for Soldiers to be another successful fundraiser for Homes for Our Troops. Tamme and his wife, Allison, have a large contingent of celebrity golfers and family volunteers scheduled for the event at Keene Run Golf Club in Lexington. (Clay Jackson / July 11, 2012) |
He’s got a long list of celebrities again participating, but Jacob Tamme knows why the third annual Swings For Soldiers Classic on Monday in Lexington again looks like it is going to be a successful fundraiser for Homes for Our Troops.
“We have people who care about what we are doing,” said Tamme, the former Boyle County and Kentucky standout who now plays for the Denver Broncos. “There are so many things for people to be involved with that are good causes, but here you see the impact you can have on a family.”
Homes for Our Troops has a simple mission: To build specially adapted homes for wounded veterans as the needs grows because more servicemen and women are coming home without the mobility needed to operate in their previous home.
The golf scramble at Keene Run Golf Club will again have 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. rounds, the same format as last year. Tamme has slightly reduced the number of teams playing in the morning and afternoon to make the rounds go faster. He also has a few spots left for four-member teams in the morning rounds (go to http://www.swingsforsoldiers.org for more information). There will be a 6:30 p.m. dinner and silent auction to conclude the fundraiser.
“We’ve had a few folks that have participated in the past that can’t for different reasons, but we’ve had new ones come in,” Tamme said. “We feel like we put on a neat event and it is for a great cause.”
His celebrity guest list can change but it will include UK football coach Joker Phillips for the first time as well as UK¿athletics director Mitch Barnhart. Kentucky offensive coordinator Randy Sanders will also play as well as Green Bay receiver Randall Cobb, unless he has a late scheduling conflict. Former UK¿quarterbacks Shane Boyd, Bill Ransdell and Jared Lorenzen will play
Former UK basketball players Ron Mercer, Walter McCarty and Antoine Walker are all possibilities. Former UK¿All-American guard Kyle Macy will play along with Mike Pratt, a former UK basketball standout and current analyst on the UK radio network.
Tamme’s former Indianapolis teammate, quarterback Curtis Paynter, is also coming back.¿He’s now with the Baltimore Ravens.
County music singer John Michael Montgomery has also indicated he’ll play.
“We will have five or six military guests as celebrity golfers, too,” Tamme said. “Ken Preston, the new president for Home for Our Troops, will also play golf.”
Tamme is pleased that Kenneth Parker of Evansville, Ind., will attend also. Proceeds from the event will be going to help fund his new home.
Tamme and his wife, Allison, will be going July 20-22 to go help with the construction.
“Allison knows every bit as much about what to do as I do. Basically, they’ll just have to tell us what to do and we will try not to mess up,” Tamme said.
Little goes wrong at the Tammes’ event because of the volunteers, including numerous family members,. Tamme also credits Jamie Legate (859-913-9261, jamie@swingsforsoldiers.org) and Kate Ballard (502-294-0439, kate@swingsforsoldiers.org) for handling even more organizational details this year as he made the move from Indianapolis, where he played for four years, to Denver.
“It has been a crazy time, but we’ve had so much support for this event,” Tamme said. “Jamie and Kate have been unbelievable.
“We will have a lot of the same volunteers this year, and people enjoy that. We have become friends with several people we did not know before through this event. I also think people enjoy see the family members we have volunteering and working.”
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Anyone wishing to make a donation can go to SwingsforSoldiers.org, click on the donate button and follow instructions.
“We have people who care about what we are doing,” said Tamme, the former Boyle County and Kentucky standout who now plays for the Denver Broncos. “There are so many things for people to be involved with that are good causes, but here you see the impact you can have on a family.”
Homes for Our Troops has a simple mission: To build specially adapted homes for wounded veterans as the needs grows because more servicemen and women are coming home without the mobility needed to operate in their previous home.
The golf scramble at Keene Run Golf Club will again have 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. rounds, the same format as last year. Tamme has slightly reduced the number of teams playing in the morning and afternoon to make the rounds go faster. He also has a few spots left for four-member teams in the morning rounds (go to http://www.swingsforsoldiers.org for more information). There will be a 6:30 p.m. dinner and silent auction to conclude the fundraiser.
“We’ve had a few folks that have participated in the past that can’t for different reasons, but we’ve had new ones come in,” Tamme said. “We feel like we put on a neat event and it is for a great cause.”
His celebrity guest list can change but it will include UK football coach Joker Phillips for the first time as well as UK¿athletics director Mitch Barnhart. Kentucky offensive coordinator Randy Sanders will also play as well as Green Bay receiver Randall Cobb, unless he has a late scheduling conflict. Former UK¿quarterbacks Shane Boyd, Bill Ransdell and Jared Lorenzen will play
Former UK basketball players Ron Mercer, Walter McCarty and Antoine Walker are all possibilities. Former UK¿All-American guard Kyle Macy will play along with Mike Pratt, a former UK basketball standout and current analyst on the UK radio network.
Tamme’s former Indianapolis teammate, quarterback Curtis Paynter, is also coming back.¿He’s now with the Baltimore Ravens.
County music singer John Michael Montgomery has also indicated he’ll play.
“We will have five or six military guests as celebrity golfers, too,” Tamme said. “Ken Preston, the new president for Home for Our Troops, will also play golf.”
Tamme is pleased that Kenneth Parker of Evansville, Ind., will attend also. Proceeds from the event will be going to help fund his new home.
Tamme and his wife, Allison, will be going July 20-22 to go help with the construction.
“Allison knows every bit as much about what to do as I do. Basically, they’ll just have to tell us what to do and we will try not to mess up,” Tamme said.
Little goes wrong at the Tammes’ event because of the volunteers, including numerous family members,. Tamme also credits Jamie Legate (859-913-9261, jamie@swingsforsoldiers.org) and Kate Ballard (502-294-0439, kate@swingsforsoldiers.org) for handling even more organizational details this year as he made the move from Indianapolis, where he played for four years, to Denver.
“It has been a crazy time, but we’ve had so much support for this event,” Tamme said. “Jamie and Kate have been unbelievable.
“We will have a lot of the same volunteers this year, and people enjoy that. We have become friends with several people we did not know before through this event. I also think people enjoy see the family members we have volunteering and working.”
* * *
Anyone wishing to make a donation can go to SwingsforSoldiers.org, click on the donate button and follow instructions.
