By M.V. Moorhead
Those who are lucky enough to be of
Scottish descent know that the folds in a
kilt are always folds of honor.
So it makes perfect sense that Tempe’s own
Tilted Kilt would participate, and make a fine
showing, in the recently completed Folds of
Honor “Here’s to Heroes” fundraiser.
The Folds of Honor Foundation, on a more
serious note, is a charity launched in 2007 by
an Oklahoma Air National Guard veteran and
professional golfer named Dan Rooney to provide
scholarships and other assistance to the families
of servicemen and servicewomen killed or
disabled in Iraq or Afghanistan.
The name refers to the folds of the American
flag, which founder Rooney saw from the window
of a commercial airplane, draped over the casket
of an Army corporal named Brock Bucklin, as his
remains were returned home in the company of
his surviving twin brother, also an Army corporal.
Rooney, determined to do something to help
the late Corporal Bucklin’s young son, decided on
the option closest at hand for him—a charity golf tournament.
From this beginning has grown
an annual PGA and USGA-supported
Patriot’s Golf Day—in which golfers
across the country are asked to add
a dollar to their greens fees for the
cause—and other events and fund
drives designed to ease the hardships
of those who have lost a parent or
spouse, or whose parent or spouse has
been disabled, in the wars of the last
decade-plus.
Another such program, the
Foundation’s “Here’s to Heroes”
promotion, just completed its second
year, in partnership with Anheuser-
Busch.
It’s here that Tempe’s Tilted Kilt
comes in—from May 28 to July 4 the
sports pub, featuring servers attired
to fetching effect in the traditional
Scottish garment, offered its patrons
the chance, in return for a donation of
either $1 or $5, to put their name on a
paper dog-tag, which was then affixed
to the establishment’s walls.
The idea here, presumably, is
that few could refuse to donate to
such a worthy cause in such a painless
manner, and that fewer still could
refuse anything at all proffered by a
winsome young server in a kilt. This
appears to have proven the case, as,
according to Len Carity, who does
marketing for Tilted Kilt, the Tempe
location alone raised more than
$3,000, and the chain overall raised
more than $116,000.
To this will be added an additional
$10,000 from Anheuser-Busch, and
a big check for the whole sum will be
presented to Folds of Honor at 10:30
a.m. Friday, Aug. 22, at the downtown
Phoenix location of Tilted Kilt at
CityScape.
“We are thrilled to be involved in
such an honorable campaign to give
back to the service men and women
and their families who have sacrificed
so much so that we can enjoy our
freedom,” says Tilted Kilt President
Ron Lynch, adding, “Our pubs are the
perfect atmosphere for this fundraiser
because our staff and customers come
together to support a cause they all
truly believe in.” If you missed out on
the promotion this year, and would
like to learn more about what you can
do to support Folds of Honor, go to
foldsofhonor.org for details.
Photo by Billy Hardiman
