WALLACE, NC (WECT) – Johnny Bench is used to being called a hero. But it’s not every day that the Baseball Hall of Famer gets to call other people heroes.
Bench returned to Wallace August 24-26 to co-host the 15th Annual Hope for the Warriors Celebrity Invitational Golf Tournament, an event that brings together veterans, military personnel, military families, business leaders and celebrities.
Although Bench did not participate in the golf course, he said it was important to him to make sure the veterans are not forgotten. The former Cincinnati Reds catcher walked the course Monday, shaking hands, taking photos and watching the golfers compete.
“I want to shake their hand and thank them,” Bench said. “They want to take a picture, they want to feel a part of it. They know their money is going to a good cause. But just a photo or something and a story to tell later will be something they’ll always remember – and hopefully they’ll come back.”
Hope for the Warriors, a 501(c) nonprofit organization founded in 2006 by military members at Lejeune Marine Base, has raised over $1.9 million for the military community since 2010. Over 91% of every dollar raised by the organization goes toward its programs that serve service members.
Some of those programs include financial, educational and physical support for veterans, said Robin Kelleher, CEO of the organization. Hope for the Warriors also emphasizes peer support – connecting veterans with each other, especially through events like this one, she noted.
“The people we support serve our country or have served our country, but will continue to serve it in many other ways,” Kelleher said. “So it’s up to us to make sure they’re doing well.”
The purpose of the event brought many celebrities to Wallace. Several former athletes, including Super Bowl quarterback Jim McMahon, attended, as well as various singers, actors and television personalities.
“The really cool thing about this event is that it brings attention to people who have done so much and made the ultimate sacrifice. And we live in this country and owe our freedoms to the men and women here,” said AJ Buckley, an actor known for his role in the television series “SEAL Team.”
One of those men, U.S. Marine Corps veteran Rob Driver, drove nine hours from Chattanooga, Tennessee, to attend the event. He said it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reconnect with people he served with and hasn’t seen in months or years.
“For a lot of us, it’s life-changing because it gives us a purpose again,” Driver said. “In the military, you have your rank, you have your purpose, and Hope fosters that camaraderie to come back together. And without her, I think a lot of times we wouldn’t have been able to come 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 who come to golf are the stars of the show,” Kelleher said.
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