As fans come off the green from the U.S. Open, a local nonprofit is hoping some of them find their way to it's beer garden raising money for a special cause.
The Village of Pinehurst Beer Garden is set up inside the town's social district and benefits the families of Green Berets.
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"This is really a showcase of all the local businesses that support Duskin and Stephens, the special forces community in the Pinehurst social district to enjoy a night out during the open," said Duskin and Stephens Foundation board chairman Ryan Misero.
The foundation raises money for special operations military members and their families.
Pinehurst is home to a mix of the golf and military communities. Misero said people can find interesting connections between the two.
"We are ingrained in Pinehurst and Southern Pines and Whispering Pines," Misero said. "Tiger Woods' father was a Green Beret too."
Misero and fellow members of the 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group at Fort Liberty started the foundation to honor two of their former teammates who were killed in action. In 2013, Mike Duskin and Riley Stephens were killed in Afghanistan.
It started with fundraisers for the Duskin and Stephens families. Then, it spread to supporting other Gold Star families and offering K-12 scholarships to children of Special Operations soldiers.
"We provide scholarships to children who are part of special forces families and we often help with emotional and financial problems," 14-year-old Riley Stephens said.
She shares the same name as her dad, one of the namesakes of the foundation. Now, she helps out with the same organization that helped her family after her dad's death.
"It's an honor because I also get to build friendships while I'm here," Riley Stephens said. "I get to know people who served with my dad, who knew him. It's nice knowing that I can still help."
That money goes to people like the Rush family. Their son Cole got one of the foundation's scholarship. On Thursday, they were volunteering at the beer garden to pay it forward.
"A foundation like this for the special operations community is fantastic, Sue Ellen Rush said. "It's what we should all be doing for everyone. The more we can help, fantastic."
The Beer Garden started on Thursday. It is also open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and the same time Saturday.