WALLACE, N.C. (WECT) – Johnny Bench is used to being called a hero. It’s not every day, though, that the baseball hall of famer gets to call other people heroes.
Bench returned to Wallace Aug. 24-26 to co-host the 15th annual Hope for the Warriors Celebrity Invitational golf tournament, an event that brings veterans, service members, military families, business leaders and celebrities together.
Though Bench didn’t participate on the course, he said it was important for him to make sure the veterans aren’t forgotten. The former Cincinnati Reds catcher made his way around the course Monday, shaking hands, taking pictures and watching golfers compete.
“I wanna shake their hand and thank them,” Bench said. “They wanna take a picture, they wanna feel a part of it. They know their money’s going to a good cause. But just a picture or something else and a story they can tell later on is gonna be something they’ll always remember – and hopefully they’ll come back.”
Hope for the Warriors, a 501(c) nonprofit founded in 2006 by military members at Camp Lejeune, has raised over $1.9 million for the military community since 2010. Over 91% of every dollar raised by the organization goes to its programs, which strive to benefit military members’ well-being.
Some of those programs include financial, educational and physical assistance for veterans, organization CEO Robin Kelleher said. Hope for the Warriors also prioritizes peer support, connecting veterans with each other, especially through events like this one, she noted.
“The people that we are supporting are serving our country, or have served our country, but will go on to serve this country in many other ways,” Kelleher said. “So it’s up to us to make sure they are thriving.”
The event’s mission brought many celebrities to Wallace. Several former athletes, including Super Bowl champion quarterback Jim McMahon, attended, as did various singers, actors and TV personalities.
“What’s really cool about this event is it brings awareness to people who have done so much, have paid the ultimate sacrifice, and we live in this country and have the freedoms that we do because of the men and women at this place,” said AJ Buckley, an actor known for his role in the TV show “SEAL Team.”
One of those men, U.S. Marine Corps veteran Rob Driver, drove nine hours from Chattanooga, Tennessee, to make the event. He said it provides a unique opportunity to reconnect with people he served with and hasn’t seen in months or years.
“It’s life-changing for a lot of us because it gives us a sense of purpose again,” Driver said. “In the military you have your rank, you have your purpose, and with Hope they encourage that camaraderie to get back together. And without them I feel like a lot of times we wouldn’t be able to get back together.”
And it’s those connections that make the weekend special, Kelleher said.
“We have celebrities here. We have military leadership here. We have corporate VIPs here. But, our warriors that come to golf are the stars of the show,” Kelleher said.
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