Golfers can make a donation toward Darien Memorial Post 2838 Veterans of Foreign Wars while hitting the links at Carriage Greens Country Club this summer.
Those who participate in Carriage Green’s “Nine & Wine” promotion pay for nine holes of golf and receive a $10 same-day credit per cart toward food and beverages at the club’s signature restaurants, The 8700 or The Sandtrap Grille. And, for every two greens fees paid, Carriage Greens will make a $5 donation to the local VFW post.
The promotion will continue until Oct. 31, for tee-time bookings after 4 p.m. on Friday through Sunday, based on two greens fees per cart occupancy. The cost is $33 per person, plus tax.
Space is limited, so golfers should schedule tee times in advance by calling 630-985-3400 or by visiting the club’s website.
“The golf (promotion) was brought to us entirely by Brian Broderick at Carriage Greens and came as a surprise to us that he wanted to provide a wonderful opportunity to raise money for our post home,” said Matt Goodwin, post commander of Darien VFW Post 2838.
Goodwin said the post’s membership decided a few years ago to provide a post home – a place where veterans, service members, their families and the community could come together.
“Most VFW post homes are thought of as old, smoke-filled taverns where veterans go to tell war stories,” Goodwin said. “But we want our ‘home’ to be a place where veterans and community members alike can come together and share the rich heritage of service in the Darien-area community.
“(The post home) is meant to bring veterans and service members closer to the community and the community closer to them,” Goodwin added. “It also provides our post with a ‘base of operations,’ so to speak; a focal point where we can run our community and veteran service programs.”
But providing a post home in Darien will require help–and funds–from the community.
Goodwin said most of the VFW posts in the area have occupied their post homes since the 1950s and ’60s, and many of them received donations of land, houses or other property to fund their endeavors.
“Since our community has become as economically vibrant as it has in the last 60 years, it is much more difficult for us now than it was for those posts back then,” Goodwin said. “But this has not deterred us from reaching for our goal. We are always appreciative of any donation that anyone wishes to make, especially monetary donations or real estate; since those will help us immensely in opening the doors on an establishment dedicated to serving the men and women who dedicated themselves to serving all of us.”
Besides the ongoing golf promotion at Carriage Greens, the post continues to hold fund-raising events such as monthly dinners at Papa Passero's restaurant (the next one is Aug. 9) and the “Walk All Our Soldiers Home” parade/walk-a-thon scheduled for Sept. 22.
For more information click here to visit the Darien VFW post’s website and here to learn more about the post's fundraisers.
