Tee it Up to Help Families of Fallen Firefighters

Having fun to support a great cause is the goal of the 2016 SE Wisconsin National Fallen Firefighters Golf Tournament. Tournament coordinator Carrie Rydzik and survivor Marge Hager joined us on the CBS58 News at Four to tell us about the tournament.   

Hager's husband passed away nearly 12-years ago in the line of duty, and says the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation stepped in to give support in a trying time. "You never get over it, but you learn to deal with it," Hager said, "I went to two survivors conferences after that, that was wonderful, because it was all people in the same boat as I was." 

The NFFF endows scholarships and job training for spouses, children and stepchildren of fallen firefighters, as well as provide logistical and emotional support to both volunteer and career departments to cope with a line-of-duty fatality from within their own ranks. The NFFF is not supported by government money, so they depend on private donations from caring individuals, organizations, and corporations.

One of their fundraisers is the 2016 golf tournament at Ironwood Golf Course in Sussex on August 12. "We're going big this year," Rydzik said, "each year we try to improve and make it a little better." 

Rydzik said the obvious goal is to raise money, but having a fun event is just as important. "We give them a good deal, they get lunch, a nice dinner banquet, we have tons of raffle prizes. they can have fun and the money is going to a worthy cause," she said. 

For more information on the NFFF, go here.

For details on the tournament, and to tee it up to help the NFFF, go here.