The New England Chapters of FCSI and Manufacturers Agents for Foodservice Industry (MAFSI) celebrated their 42nd annual golf outing and reception on June 1, 2015.
The charitable event, held at Andover Country Club in Andover, Massachusetts, welcomed 128 participants and 84 tee sign sponsors, raising a total of $20,900 for the Wounded Warrior Project and will support the programs and services offered for this generation of injured veterans and their families.
“Injuries come in many forms,” said Ryan Casavant, New England chapter Wounded Warrior Project representative and Purple Heart recipient as he accepted the donation on the organisations behalf, “just because you can’t see an injury does not mean it’s not there”. Casavant, a Marine Veteran, served back-to-back tours in Afghanistan and Iraq and received an honorable discharge in 2006. Event attendees were visibly moved as Ryan shared his personal struggles with returning from war, crediting his success to the programmes and services offered by the Wounded Warrior Project.
“We are just grateful to be in a position to give back to those that gave so freely to us”, said the event’s chief organiser, Jim Whiffen FCSI, president of Fountainhead Foodservice Group in Burlington, Massachusetts and FCSI Golf Committee member. Ryan is just one of the more than 52,000 service men and women that have been injured in the recent conflicts. In addition to the physical wounds, it is estimated as many as 400,000 service members live with the invisible wounds of war including combat-related stress, major depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The WWP is uniquely structured to nurture these types of injuries, encouraging economic empowerment and engagement.
The annual golf outing event is one of two large charity fundraisers organised by the New England Chapter of FCSI.
For more information, contact FCSI New England Chapter Secretary, Chandra Comfort at (781) 826-5522. To learn more about WWP visit www.woundedwarriorproject.com.
