One Man’s Passion and a 10-year Milestone

Carl Meyer is back on the golf course for his 100 Holes for Our Heroes fundraising event on July 4th 

There are two things that Carl Meyer is absolutely passionate about:  Golf and America’s military veterans. So, perhaps it’s no surprise that his extraordinary dedication to both converges each year on a day that’s bedecked in expressions of patriotism – and red, white & blue.    

“The Fourth of July is the day we celebrate the independence of our country,” says Carl. “The reality is that, without our veterans for the past 200+ years, we could very easily be speaking Russian or German or Japanese.” He believes strongly that the men and women who have been willing to put their lives on the line for this country have made significant sacrifices, stressing, “We wouldn’t live in the freedom we enjoy every day without that.”

So, this year –  as he’s done every Independence Day for the past nine years – Carl will be teeing off on his first hole of the day while most of us are still sound asleep. The significance of that first swing is noteworthy because it will be just the first of hundreds he takes in his 10th annual pursuit of fundraising dollars.  

carl meyer-300x199Carl launched his 100 Holes for our Heroes benefiting Hire Heroes USA back in 2008, and the irony is that – in all that time – he has never actually played 100 holes. He always plays more, A LOT MORE! In that inaugural event, he played 108 holes. By 2014, he had reached 135, and then – just one year later – he jumped to 155 holes.

Carl will tell you that he found some extra motivation from donors who made “per hole played” pledges.

But it should also be known that he possesses a very personal and innate drive to see just how many times he can visit the front and back nine in an uber-sized day of golf at Wisconsin’s Chenequa Country Club. After all, this is a golfer who can regularly play 36 holes a day for several days in a row – without even thinking twice. He has no special training regimen. He just loves golf that much!  

Last year, Carl’s first hole of the day was his 1,000th played in this endeavor. More than 14 hours later – when he finally decided to call it day – he had added 161 additional holes and several more scorecards to his tally. 

Yes, you read that right. Carl played a total of 162 holes – or, NINE complete rounds – in one day on the  golf course. To add some additional context to all of this, Carl says there are times when he will play through the same group of golfers three times in just 18 holes. 

It’s not just anyone who can do that. Carl would also be the first to point out that it’s also not just anyone who serves in the U.S. Armed Forces. 

During World War II, when the U.S. had a population of about 140 million, just over 16 million served in the military. Contrast that with America’s population today of more than 326 million and a U.S. military that numbers only 1.3 million active duty members. Each year, approximately 200,000 of them separate or retire from the military and move into the civilian workforce. 

Marine Corps veteran John Matter was one of them. He served as a sniper in a number of combat zones, including Kosovo, Yemen, Iraq and Afghanistan. He is also a recipient of three Purple Hearts.  

John is local to the golf course where Carl makes his rounds every July 4th – so he he spends an hour or two with Carl to ride in the golf cart and speak with donors. He credits Hire Heroes USA with helping him get his first civilian job when he retired from the military. 

John is one of more than 17,000 clients that Hire Heroes USA has assisted into meaningful employment since 2007 – each of them with their own personal story of military service and the struggles they faced, like underemployment or unemployment, in finding their own path to a post-military career. These are the men and women that inspire Carl to do what he does every Independence Day.     

IMG_4287The numbers Carl has amassed over the past nine years have added up. To date, he has played a remarkable 1,161 holes in only nine single days of golf, and he still has all the scorecards to prove it. Along the way, he has also raised more than half-a-million dollars to support Hire Heroes USA’s continued efforts to provide free, personalized career services to transitioning military members, veterans and military spouses.

If you speak with Carl, the discussion inevitably turns to why he takes on this mammoth golfing ritual year-after-year, and he’ll describe his motivation with a determination that is matched by his genuine and very personal desire to make a difference.

“I just feel that we’re blessed within a country where we have men and women who are willing to raise their hand and serve our nation. And I think that we have a debt to them when they come back – to give them an opportunity – not a handout – but an opportunity to live the American dream they fought for.”

“There are roughly half a million veterans who are unemployed and about 270,000 separating from the military service every year. So, there’s significant demand and need for the services that Hire Heroes USA provides. I couldn’t be more proud to be aligned with a charity that has the quality, structure and metrics, as well as the underlying foundational vision and mission that Hire Heroes USA has. They operate much more like a business than a typical charity.”

Carl quickly adds, “They’re people who work their butts off!”

Every Fourth of July, we hold Carl in the same regard. How many holes will it be this year?


Written by Hire Heroes USA’s Kathleen Saal

 

Join Carl’s team of support by clicking this link

 

Cheryl Saban Self-Worth Foundation for Women & Girls Funds Pilot Program to Help Women Who Served Find High Quality Jobs

Hire Heroes USA Pilot Employment Program Will Serve at Least 150 Female Veterans

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) June 21, 2017 — The Cheryl Saban Self-Worth Foundation for Women & Girls today announced the “Female Veteran Empowerment Workshops presented by the Cheryl Saban Self-Worth Foundation for Women & Girls,” a national pilot program it’s launching in conjunction with Hire Heroes USA that will assist female veterans and female service members who are transitioning out of the military to find quality employment in the civilian work force. The initial grant will enable Hire Heroes USA to serve at least 150 women. The national nonprofit provides transition workshops, personalized career coaching, and employment preparation counseling at no cost to U.S. military members, veterans and military spouses.

“Our female veterans have done so much to serve this country, and they’re exiting the military with tremendous skills,” said Dr. Cheryl Saban, psychologist, author, and the founder of the Cheryl Saban Self-Worth Foundation for Women & Girls. “We’re so pleased to work with Hire Heroes USA to help these brave and dedicated women get the jobs they deserve. The companies that hire these veterans will quickly learn how much of an asset they are to our communities.”

The program, which will begin in July 2017 and run through 2018, will include:

• 10 Employment Workshops: One-day, hands-on sessions that help clients develop a strategic plan, create a resume that conveys their experience and value to employers, learn how to conduct an effective job search, and practice interview techniques. Preliminary dates / locations include: 7/27 San Diego, CA; 8/29 San Antonio, TX; 9/12 Los Angeles, CA; 9/19 Colorado (Location TBA); 9/26 Fort Belvoir, VA. More dates and locations to follow.

• Virtual Career Coaching: An assessment, training, and mentoring service that helps clients understand their transferable skills, learn effective job search techniques, and create professionally-revised business resumes. Once assigned to a client, Hire Heroes USA team members are never more than a phone call away.

• The Hire Heroes USA Volunteer Program: an active network of about 500 industry experts who volunteer their time to provide mock interviews, networking, and personalized career coaching based on client interest.

• Employment Opportunities and the Hire Heroes USA Job Board: Hire Heroes USA provides job-matching services, pairing clients with the great companies that want to hire them. Additionally, clients get access to an online Job Board where they can post their resumes and apply for jobs on their own.

For more information about Hire Heroes USA – including registration for workshop dates – visit the “ Workshops” tab on the Hire Heroes USA website.

“The Cheryl Saban Self-Worth Foundation for Women & Girls has done tremendous work helping underserved women advance in society,” said Brian Stann, President and CEO of Hire Heroes USA and a Marine Corps combat veteran. “Historically, the unique needs of female service members and veterans have been neglected. Because of this, we’ve wanted to grow our female veteran-focused program for some time. We’re thrilled Dr. Saban’s foundation is partnering with us to make this expansion a reality.”

As part of the pilot, Hire Heroes USA will also work with the Call of Duty™ Endowment, a long-standing funder of the organization, to bring attention to the unique challenges and opportunities faced by female veterans in their search for civilian employment. Each year, the military discharges about 25,000 active female service members and about 16,800 female Reserve and Guard members, 80% of whom do not have clear career plans. Effective employment assistance is crucial to a successful transition to civilian life.

“Hire Heroes USA is without a doubt one of the most successful veteran-serving organizations in the country, placing veterans into high quality jobs at one fifth the cost of federal government efforts” said Dan Goldenberg, Executive Director of the Call of Duty Endowment. “We’ve worked with them year after year because they’ve been so effective at equipping veterans to get the quality jobs they deserve. We’re so pleased the Cheryl Saban Self-Worth Foundation will be joining in this effort.”

Since 2007, Hire Heroes USA has helped more than 17,000 veterans and military spouses move into new careers, and generated an estimated economic impact of $205 million. In 2016, more than 2,600 (17.6%) of the clients served were female veterans, of whom more than 930 were confirmed hired.

About the Cheryl Saban Self-Worth Foundation for Women and Girls

Dr. Cheryl Saban formed the Cheryl Saban Self-Worth Foundation for Women and Girls in 2009 with the belief that gender equality and empowerment of women and girls is fundamental to changing society for the better for all human kind. The foundation has dedicated $13 million dollars to the empowerment and equality of women and girls in the U.S. and abroad by providing grants to organizations that address health, education, welfare, empowerment, advocacy, financial independence and political advancement.

About Hire Heroes USA

Headquartered in Georgia – with seven additional offices throughout the United States – Hire Heroes USA provides free, expert career coaching and job sourcing to hundreds of transitioning U.S. military members, veterans and military spouses each week. As a national nonprofit, we are committed to transparency and accountability, resulting in a Charity Navigator 4-Star rating and a GuideStar Platinum level. Our programs are funded exclusively by private grants and public donations. For more information about our mission, our services, and how to get involved as a corporate partner, employment partner, donor, or volunteer, please visit us online at hireheroesusa.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

About the Call of Duty Endowment

The Call of Duty Endowment is a non-profit, public benefit corporation co-founded by Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard. The Endowment helps veterans find high quality careers by supporting groups that prepare them for the job market and by raising awareness of the value vets bring to the workplace. For more information about the Call of Duty Endowment, please visit www.callofdutyendowment.org.

ACTIVISION and CALL OF DUTY are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners.


 

A digital copy of this press release is also available online at: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2017/06/prweb14444559.htm