In this live‑on‑site segment, host Brooke Cheney interviews veteran‑turned‑organizer David Schutt at the Crestview Country Club in Agawam, MA, about the annual Tunnels to Towers charity golf outing. The event, now in its fourth year, raises funds to pay off mortgages and build homes for fallen first‑responders and veterans. Schutt recounts the outing’s humble beginnings (38 golfers in rainy weather), its growth (over $13,400 raised last year, on track for $20,000 this year), and the role of raffles and corporate sponsors (board spots at $500, prizes averaging $125). They discuss setting September 11 as the permanent date for the 2025 outing, the roster of local sponsors, and plans to obtain 501(c)(3) status so donations become tax‑deductible. Brooke adds personal reflections on the significance of the date, emotional ties, and promises a follow‑up with sign‑up details. The conversation blends factual updates, fundraising logistics, and heartfelt motivation for supporting veterans and first responders.
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It's gonna go, hi, you're live. All right, hello everybody, I'm here. Oh, for those of you who haven't been on my channels before, this is Brooke Cheney, this is David Schutt, and we are here at the Tunnels for Towers golf outing that Mr. Schutt has been putting on for how long now?
4 years.
4 years. We're in our 4th year, but we're going to talk about the 5th year. Okay. Of 2025.
Okay.
All right, so for those of you who don't know, Tunnels to Towers does what?
Tunnels to Towers pays off mortgages for first responders and military personnel that have died in the line of duty. They also build homes, special homes for critically injured veterans and first responders.
Okay, all right, and we've got our next foursome here. Come this way, we'll get out of the way. We're flexible, we can move. All right, so Tunnels to Towers takes care of our veterans, takes care of our first responders, and today— do we know what day is today?
September 11th.
Yeah, September 11th, 2024. And so what inspired you to start this 4 years ago?
As a military veteran, um, it's near and dear to me. I carried caskets home. It's just my thing to give back.
Okay, I'm not here to make you cry, but you might make me cry.
It's tough to get through today.
I started crying on the way to school with my kids. I'm like, what day is it? I'm like, oh, but on the fun side, it's my brother's birthday, so I never forget my brother's birthday anymore, so I got that going for me. All right, so as a former veteran, we always say thank you for your, um, service.
Thank you.
And some veterans are like, yes, and others leave me alone. So it just depends because people ask me that question, how do you know? I'm like, you don't. You can say thank you if you like. All right, so every year you've grown a little bit bigger. Yeah, yeah.
Um, we started out very small. It was, uh, just my kids and somebody convinced me to do this for for my little business. And we had 38 golfers our first year. It was raining and 42 degrees.
Ooh, not fun.
Not fun. But the kids had a blast and they wanted to do it again next year. And we did it the next year and it was 105 degrees and blazing hot and nobody ate dinner. I just paid so much money for—
because it was too hot. Everyone just wanted to get in the air conditioning.
And then last year we've raised $13,400.
Okay.
From $1,800 to $5,000 to $13,400. This year we're on track for $20,000.
Let's go!
And then this year, um, Dan DeLeon from Tunnel of Towers is here somewhere, and, uh, he's here to accept the check today.
Very exciting.
Hopefully it's a great big fat one.
Okay. All right. Um, let's see, $15,000, $20,000 is the thing.
That's our goal.
All right, well, apparently we need to charge more for your banner that we just stepped away from. Oh wait, I gotta move my hand. Sorry, we're gonna make us go upside down shortly.
Okay.
All right, so next year you already have your date?
Yep, September 11th. It should be on September 11th from now on.
Okay.
And, um, where it's, it's basically, uh, first come, first serve. I have these kids that have been with me since day one, so they're the first ones to come. And then, uh, as people bow out because of other, you know, engagements or whatever, we fill those spots. So, so far we've been fortunate enough, thank the Lord, that we haven't turned anybody away. We lose people unfortunately, but, um, we were able to fill in those spots for new people that show up.
Bye guys, have a nice flight, enjoy the rest of— oh, drinks! You're welcome. I get— no, I can't put that on camera, never mind. Anyway, the joy of live. Yes. All right, so I forgot to ask this other part. Where are we?
Oh, we're at Crestview Country Club in Agawam, Massachusetts. As you can see right there is the spire at, um, Six Flags.
Ready? Hold on, we'll do this, really get people all Blair Witchy. All right, hold on, hold on. Oh, there it is.
There's Six Flags.
There we go, Six Flags New England. And you thought you were going to stay out of it standing over there, right?
Now we gotta turn back around.
All right, we'll go this way. Yes, we'll go back this way. So anyway, it's a lovely country club. Oh, and there's a big table of raffles way over there.
Yeah, huge table of raffles. Got some beautiful— we have a beautiful handmade quilt by Lisa Pepe. It's just outstanding. I wish we'd go over there and show some of the prizes. We have golf bags from Tunnel of Towers. Um, we have the trophies over there for the guys. We have everything from soup to nuts over there. I mean, every raffle is worth about $125. Um, we have our corporate board here, so we make all of our money basically on the raffles and the corporate sponsors right here. So to be on the corporate board, it's $500. And as you can see, we have everybody from Tobacco Farmers, Kent Farms— where are we, Kent Farms? Right here.
Okay.
My buddy Jimmy Kent, my next-door neighbor Larry Dapo from Jackson Ryan Construction. We have USA Hauling, they're going to have a special event for us today. Cadrax, who Angelo works for, Eagle Rivet, Swede's Jewelers, Light Rigging, McCormick Aluminum, Drainage Pros. All these folks that we know or have met over the years and they just keep stepping up. It's great.
All right, so next year these are gonna be $3,000 apiece. That's how we're gonna raise more money.
I think you're gonna be our marketing agent.
Okay, all right, sounds good. Oh wait, wait, here we can get the— oh, the bigger— the bigger Tunnels to Towers. For those of you who haven't been, t2t.org is way easier than writing Tunnels to Towers.
Yeah, so over here.
Oh man, all right, where is it? Okay, there it is. Proud supporter of the foundation.
So these, these things, I can't zoom out of your own pocket because, um You know, we, we try to do whatever we can, save them money in the end, to save the money and make more money, right? But if you don't know, Tunnels to Towers, about 95 cents of every dollar that's brought in goes directly to the vets, the families.
Yeah, I actually went to their website. Here, look up. So here's the deal, seriously, if you're about to cry and you really don't want to, if you look up, it allows you to connect with God and calm yourself down and be thankful for everything that we have. And it allows you to calm the hell down because I cry all the time. And y'all that watch know that I cry all the time. So it does— well, it's important and it's hard to, like, especially on this day, right? I'm like, I can't even. So, oh yeah, I'm gonna throw that over there for right now. Like, oh, all right. So agawam Golf Club, 20— uh, September 11th next year, 2025. How do they find you to sign up for this for next year, or when does that actually start? Well, and/or give you raffle prizes like cars and, you know, Dave Schutt.
It's a Schutt family from Suffield, Connecticut.
And that's spelled S-H-U-T-T-E, right? Yeah, go ahead.
I am shooting safe firearms training, but we're trying to get away from the, uh, the business to just do more of a family event for, you know, families. It's more about the folks who've lost people and taking care of them.
And, um, what else? Here, I'll come over here for a second. I did go to their website— I mean, to the, the Tunnels for Towers website— and they are very proud, and as they should be, that at least 90 to 95 cents of every dollar you donate, that Dave here, of the $20 grand or so that he's going to give today, is going to be going there. Hello, Mr. Mike White. Um, sorry, and my, my friends are starting to pop in. You know, it's a random time of day and a lot of my viewers are on the West Coast, so they're still sleeping. Yes, slowly but surely. So, um, 2025, September 11th. What's the name of the golf club again?
Country Club.
And then how— oh, and the exciting news is next year he's going to be a 501(c)(3). So when you donate stuff you can do a tax write-off.
Yes.
But when, when's that going to be done? Do you know? Um, well, what are you hoping for? It's a lot of paperwork, folks, for those who don't know.
Yes. Yeah, it's from when I talked to my accountant, it's very easy to do. We have the account set up already, so it's just a matter of just making it, uh, official. But right now what we do for corporations that are donating, we give them an invoice that they can take off their taxes.
Gotcha.
Um, but next year it'll be all, you know, straight to the 501(c)(3).
C3. Gotcha.
Very, very cool. And I'm not really the—
not that— it's okay, it's all right. We're— I'm not either. Yes, it's all good. All right, so that's it. Sign up.
Thank you so much.
Oh wait, where, where are they signing up? We didn't answer that question because you don't know yet.
We'll have a website, we'll have to do something.
All right, I will do a follow-up to this with the information down there or something along those lines.
Thanks, Brooke, you're the best.
You're welcome. All right, bye everybody. Have a lovely 1911. 1911. I really did say that, didn't I? Yeah.
