Bunkers in Baghdad: Making a Difference One Golf Ball at a Time

Sports make a difference in so many ways! It is always a treat to learn of an organization that is making a huge difference with a simple idea! This week I'm fresh off a conversation with Joseph Hanna, Founder and President of Bunkers in Baghdad ("Bunkers") and what a difference he is making in the lives of our troops and veterans. Founded just a year and half ago, the organization provides donations of golf balls and clubs to military in the US and abroad. To date, they have provided equipment to soldiers and veterans in 9 countries and all 50 states. “We are approaching 1 million balls and 30,000 clubs distributed thanks to the help of sports teams, individuals and sponsors like Callaway,” said Hanna. Hanna has found a friend in professional sports, kicking off his efforts with the Chicago Blackhawks. Bunkers in Baghdad has been featured at various professional games, with funds raised in a raffle ticket effort shared between the team foundation and Bunkers. All proceeds go to pay for the expenses incurred from transporting the equipment overseas. Thanks to donations from individuals and sponsors, Bunkers was able to keep shipping to wounded warrior and veterans programs across the country. A few of the US Military Installations, Wounded Warrior Programs and VA Hospitals that have received donations include: John D. Dingell VA Medical Center - Wounded Warrior Program (Detroit, Michigan) VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System - Wounded Warrior Battalion (Ann Arbor, Michigan) Fort Sill Warrior Transition Unit (Fort Sill, Oklahoma) Manchester VA Medical Center (Manchester, New Hampshire) Tennessee Valley Healthcare System Wounded Warrior Project (Tennessee) Dover Air Force Base Youth Program (Dover, Delaware) St. Louis VA Medical Center - Jefferson Barracks Division (St. Louis, Missouri) Fort Rucker U.S. Army Warrior Transition Command (Alabama) Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center Wounded Warrior Program (Saginaw, Michigan) Omaha VA Medical Center Wounded Warrior Program (Omaha, Nebraska) Indianapolis VA Medical Center Wounded Warrior Program (Indianapolis, Indiana) Ft. Polk US Army Wounded Warrior Program (Ft. Polk, Louisiana) Naval Air Station Brunswick MWRF (Brunswick, Maine) VA Pittsburgh Heath Care System Wounded Warrior Program (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) Warrior Transition Command Boston VA Medical Center (Boston, Massachusetts) Fort McCoy Morale, Welfare and Recreation (Fort McCoy, Wisconsin) Wounded Warrior Program- VA Connecticut - Newington Campus (Newington, Connecticut) VA Medical and Regional Center (Fargo, North Dakota) Wounded Warrior Transition Unit (Vermont) Des Moines VA Medical Clinic- Wounded Warrior Program (Des Moines, Iowa) Wounded Warrior Transition Unit (Rhode Island) Bunkers In Baghdad seeks donations of cash and equipment, and is looking to form strategic alliances with sports teams and golf companies around the country. Contact Joseph Hanna at jhanna@goldbergsegalla.com or 716-566-5447 (also feel free to follow Bunkers on Twitter (bunkerstweets), join the LinkedIn Group or Facebook Page as well). For more information, please visit Bunker's website: http://www.bunkersinbaghdad.com/. (Also posted on The Real Athlete Blog.)