An Evening with Major Dan Rooney

Saturday, November 12, 2011

The Aubrey Rose Foundation will be hosting its very first speaking engagement... An Evening with Major Dan Rooney - from Runways to Fairways to Helping Families.

Major Dan Rooney is the founder of the Folds of Honor Foundation and Patriot Golf Day, an F-16 pilot in the Oklahoma Air National Guard, a golf course owner, a residential developer and a PGA Professional who has shared his inspiration with the U.S. Ryder Cup team at the request of captain Corey Pavin.

Folds of Honor, a non-profit organization, provides scholarships to the spouses and children of military service members disabled or killed in action. Patriot Golf Day, Folds of Honor's flagship fundraising event and one of the largest grassroots fundraising efforts in sport's history, is a collaborative effort with the PGA and the USGA. In its first three years, Patriot Golf Day raised $3 million in donations from golfers nationwide, with more than 550 scholarships awarded to deserving candidates.

For his work with Folds of Honor, Rooney has received the White House's Presidential Volunteer Service Award, the Air National Guard's Distinguished Service Medal, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, and the PGA of America's first-ever Patriot Award. He has also been recognized as one of People Magazine's 2008 Heroes of the Year and one of ABC World News Tonight's Persons of the Year for 2008.

A Major in the Air National Guard and a decorated military aviator, Rooney has served three combat tours in Iraq. He is a two-time recipient of the "Top Gun" award and was honored with the "Spirit of Attack" award as a top graduate of F-16 training. He has received many decorations to include the Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Medal, Anti-terrorism Medal, Combat Readiness Medal and Air Expeditionary Medal.

Rooney has continued his golf career as a majority owner of the historic Grand Haven (Mich.) Golf Club. He is a majority owner of The Patriot, a Robert Trent Jones, Jr.-designed course near Tulsa, Okla. The Patriot also is home to the Folds of Honor Foundation headquarters. A percentage of all profits, guest play, as well as member contributions from The Patriot directly benefit the Folds of Honor Foundation. He was also the only motivational team speaker for the recent US Ryder Cup team in Wales, an amazing opportunity that has been historically reserved for Presidents. Major Rooney will speak for the Aubrey Rose Foundation on Saturday, November 12, 2011 at Wright State University. Door open at 7pm, tickets are $25 and all of the proceeds will benefit the Aubrey Rose Foundation Holiday Party at Dayton Children's Hospital.

We are partnering with the hospital to host this party for the kids who are technology dependent. These kids, due to the complexity of their health problems, are typically unable to visit Santa at the mall. They and their families will miss out on the normal holiday celebrations and are sometimes hospitalized for lengthy stays at Dayton Children's. Their siblings are often overlooked as well because of the focus on the child with more medical needs. Our goal for this Holiday Party, is for a few short hours that these patients and their families can forget about all of the medical attention and focus on being a normal child and a normal family having fun! If you would like to help us with this our speaking engagement or our Holiday Party, please let Nancy know.