Since 2018 the Veteran’s Top Shot Invitational has been raising awareness and funds for local programs that directly support military families and veterans here on Cape. Organized by Devadigm, Cape Gun Works, and Coxswain Media’s Pixy 103, the highly anticipated annual fundraiser consists of a golf tournament in the spring and a shooting competition in September. This year the two charities chosen as beneficiaries are Heroes in Transition and the Nicholas G. Xiarhos Fund.
Justin Moose, a World Class Long Drive competitor is back at it again in 2023 to hit the longest drive. New to the event this year is Yarmouth’s own Jim Hallet, a pro golfer who played the PGA Tour. Having cut his teeth playing on the Bass River Golf Course, he joins Top Shot this year to hit closest to the pin.
Registration is open for the 5th Annual Golf Tournament on May 19th. This 22-hole scramble-style tournament with be held at Yarmouth Golf Club’s own beautiful Bayberry Hills, a premier championship golf course located at 635 West Yarmouth Road in West Yarmouth. Known for its uniquely challenging formidable bunkers, waste areas, and undulations, Bayberry Hills Golf Course boasts big greens and scenic Cape Cod views. The Links at Bayberry Hills is an old-fashioned styled 9-hole course with shorter pars. Golfers in the Top Shot Invitational Golf Tournament will get to experience both courses. Each registered team is allotted two golf carts and an invitation to the Pig Roast Luncheon preceding the event. The Opening Ceremony begins at 11:30 am followed by the Shotgun Start to the competition at noon. Raffles, auctions, and the Winner Prize Presentation will take place at the conclusion of the tournament, and will be sponsored by many local small businesses from in and around Yarmouth.
To volunteer with the Veteran’s Top Shot Invitational, you can fill out this online form on their website. Don’t have time to volunteer this year but you’d still like to be involved? Find out how you can be a sponsor, or you can easily donate to the cause. 100% of donations are given to charities to support vets on Cape!
Heroes In Transition: Serving Cape Cod Veterans and Military Families
In the fall of 2009, Capt. Eric A. Jones was a young marine helicopter pilot in Afghanistan. “He flew helicopters to be close to the troops on the ground and be there to help them when they needed it most,” shares his mother, Cyndy Jones. Tragically, her son’s life would be cut too short that October 26th when his helicopter crashed during a combat mission. Soon after this unimaginable loss, Cyndy and her husband Ken were moved to carry on Eric’s name and his mission for supporting troops on the ground, and founded Heroes in Transition, (HIT) in his honor.
Sgt. John Alexander, a military police Sgt. for the US Army, and Kristen, his wife of nearly 32 years, joined HIT in 2016 as Group Facilitators and created a monthly Military Couples Group. John and Lorrie Moran run HIT’s Veteran’s Group, and Kristen leads HIT’s Spouses group. Kristen also took on the role of HIT’s Program and Volunteer Manager last year.
Kristin speaks thoughtfully of utilizing her experiences as a military spouse making “every struggle, hardship, and lesson learned worth it!… Seeing the friendships formed through our monthly group events and our couples retreat weekends feeds my soul and fills my heart. It reassures us that what we are doing is much needed, and we are doing exactly what we are meant to do!”
Heroes In Transition offers programs at no cost to military families, spouses, and veterans. Upcoming events in April include a Spring Couples Retreat, a Family Overnight Getaway, the HIT Veteran’s Cornhole Challenge, and the Veteran Equine Warrior Weekend. Scheduled events and programs are posted on HIT’s website.
Groups, activities, and events offered for free to military families and veterans are entirely funded by community partners and sponsors, as well as donations, and proceeds from the merch shop. Fundraising is a huge undertaking of combined efforts between HIT, the community, and droves of volunteers and hard work. Some of the biggest annual fundraisers to date are the Fall Gala which is coming on its 14th year, and the Ruck4HIT which celebrates its 8th anniversary in May.
To stay up to date on HIT news and current events, email contact@heroesintransition.org to subscribe to the newsletter!
For more information about how you can get involved with Heroes In Transition as a volunteer, email volunteers@heroesintransition.org.
For more information about HIT programs you can email:
veterans@heroesintransition.org
couples@heroesintransition.org
spouses@heroesintransition.org
families@heroesintransition.org
(Britt Skinner is a freelance writer.)
This blog is funded through the Town of Yarmouth’s Tourism Revenue Preservation Fund.