A golf and country club in Fort Myers celebrated Veterans Day by holding a charity event where nearly a thousand golf balls were dropped from a helicopter.

The Legends Golf and Country Club hosted the event to support the Stand Up and Play Foundation, a national non-profit that gives disabled veterans the ability to not just stand, but play golf as well.

With the help of the VertaCat, an all-terrain motorized cart, veterans paralyzed from the waist down are able to get back to their golf game.

Karen Atkinson, a veteran, said she was amazed by the machine.

“I tell people, my life ends at the pavement. This pavement, I can’t leave this. A device like the VertaCat, to me, that is magical,” said Atkinson.

The golf balls that were dropped from the helicopter each had a hopeful donor’s number on it.
The ones that rolled closest to the flags won donors some cash and gave veterans the opportunity to work on their swing again.

“From a sitting position to a standing position, it is only about 18 inches. It changes the world,” said Atkinson.

Over the years, the Stand Up and Play Foundation has raised over $350 thousand in funds.

Anthony Netto, the founder of the Stand Up and Play Foundation, said that a device like this can be life-changing.

“It’s like a new way of life, allowing a new lifestyle. Just when you thought you couldn’t, you can,” said Netto.

The VertaCat from Sunday’s event will be given to the non-profit’s new Tampa Bay chapter on Monday.