Arizona Diamondbacks, Budweiser raising money for families of veterans
Jun 2, 2017, 4:23 AM | Updated: 11:26 am
(Facebook and AP Photos)
PHOENIX — Budweiser and the Arizona Diamondbacks have been hard at work raising money for Arizonans that have had a family member either killed or disabled while serving our country.
The months of work will culminate July 1 when the team takes on the Colorado Rockies.
While there will be plenty of action on the baseball diamond, most of the game’s activities will focus on Folds of Honor, a charity that gives scholarships to the families of wounded or disabled veterans or those killed in battle.
“We will present a check with the proceeds from the two months of effort from Budweiser,” Cullen Maxey, the team’s vice president of business operations, said.
“We will have our 50-50 raffle with all proceeds going to Folds of Honor followed by our fireworks spectacular. We’re doing a patriotic T-shirt giveaway to our first 20,000 fans through the gates. To put our efforts behind Folds of Honor means a lot.”
It certainly does mean a great deal to retired Army Maj. Ed Pulido, who is also the senior vice president of Folds of Honor.
“To date, we’ve awarded more than 13,000 scholarships to deserving military families across the country,” he said.
For Pulido, the issue of caring for the families of veterans hits close to home.
“On August 17, 2004, I hit a roadside bomb in Iraq,” he said. “I almost lost my life. I lost my left leg and almost my left arm but, at the end of the day, a young man saved my life and I’m here today to talk about it.”
Despite it being a terrifying experience, Pulido said it gave him a mission to pursue in his civilian life.
“The reward for me is that after hitting that roadside bomb, I recognized that I needed the support of the American people,” he said. “With all of the strife on the political side of things at the end of the day, we need good in this country. Our goal is to provide more education and awareness but also to get everyone involved in supporting our military.”
Editor’s note: KTAR News 92.3 FM’s parent company, Bonneville International, is the exclusive media partner for Budweiser’s Folds of Honor effort.