Golfers will hit the course on Memorial Day to raise money for veterans in Southeast Texas, with organizers saying proceeds will support efforts to build tiny homes for homeless veterans in the Beaumont area.
Brent Coon and VFW Commander Marvin Cash said the VFW Memorial Golf Tournament is shifting its focus this year to benefit the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Beaumont and to help address veteran homelessness and related mental health needs. Coon said the group previously held an annual fundraiser for the Lone Survivor Foundation, which he said built a rehabilitation facility for veterans at Crystal Beach but later relocated operations to Huntsville.
Coon said the Beaumont VFW does not receive government support and relies on sponsorships and donations. He said the goal of this year’s tournament is to raise money to begin placing tiny homes at a Spindletop facility near downtown Beaumont, where he said there is room to create an "on campus experience” for veterans.
"We can get some of the veterans off the street,” Coon said, adding that the plan is to connect veterans with support and mental health resources while also building community through camaraderie with other veterans already involved at the site.
Cash said fundraising demands take up significant time for the organization, and having tournament support would help the VFW move faster on its plans. "In the end, we’re hoping to have up to ten tiny homes on our property, potentially housing ten veterans at a time,” Cash said. He said the aim is to help veterans access health benefits and mental health benefits.
Coon said organizers hope the tiny-home effort can become a model other veterans facilities can replicate, including exploring options such as repurposing cargo containers. He said the tiny homes typically do not require much space and are "usually about 20ft wide.”
The Memorial Golf Tournament is scheduled for Monday on Memorial Day and will use a shotgun start. Coon said organizers had about 15 corporate sponsors with teams and were still looking for about seven or eight more teams to sponsor and play.
Coon said participants will have a chance to meet and golf with former NFL players, including Pastor Rainey, Robert Brazil and Joe Washington. He said the day will also include a luncheon and continue into the afternoon with an event at the Bahama Beach Club, featuring a live band he described as "La Rock’s great cover band out of Houston.”
