Every year hordes of Minnesotans take advantage of winter break and escape the cold by migrating to the sun and warmth of Arizona. This last break, Junior Golfer Alex Kolquist was no exception. Kolquist spent his break working toward more than just a good tan by competing in  the Patriot All-America, a three-day golf tournament for charity that took place at the Wigwam Arizona in Litchfield Park, Ariz.December 28-30, 2011.

The tournament was designed to emulate the collegiate football bowl experience for the nation’s top golfers. Division I, II and III All-Americans from the previous season were invited to compete in the tournament. Kolquist, an All-American golfer in the 2010-2011 season, received his invitation in the summer and decided to jump on the opportunity.

“It was a blast. We had announcers addressing us at the tee box and personalized flags … it was a step up from what I’m used to. It was really fun to go down there and experience that,” Kolquist said.

All proceeds from the event benefited the Folds of Honor Foundation, a charitable organ-ization whose mission is to empower deserving military families with educational support and opportunities by providing post-secondary educational scholarships for children and spouses of military service men and women killed or disabled while in service.

Each collegiate athlete was given a custom red, white and blue bag embroidered with the name of a soldier who was killed in action for use during the tournament. Top college players from around the country signed the bags of his team members, which were then to be brought home and auctioned off to local community members with the proceeds donated to Folds of Honor.

Kolquist and Gustavus Golf Coach Scott Moe decided to do something a little different. Instead of holding an auction for the bag they chose to collect donations from the Gustavus community and beyond and then donate the bag to the family of John W. Faas, the fallen soldier whose name is embroidered on the bag Kolquist was given.

Chief Petty Officer John Weston Faas was a Navy SEAL and Minnesota native who spent twelve years as a chief special warfare operator. In August 2011 his helicopter was shot down during a tour in Afghanistan, killing Faas and 37 others in the deadliest single loss for U.S. forces in the history of the war. His family resides in Minneapolis and will be presented the bag when fundraising is completed.

Folds of Honor was founded in 2007 by Major Dan Rooney, a PGA professional and former F-16 pilot. In addition to the Patriot All-America, the foundation holds the Patriot Cup, an elite, invitation-only golf tournament and gala over Memorial Day Weekend. They also started Patriot Golf Day, a fundraiser that occurs each Labor Day where golfers from around the country are asked to add an additional dollar to their green fees to fund Folds of Honor Scholarships.

Patriot Golf Day alone has raised over 12.8 million dollars for the Foundation since 2007. As of January, 2,539 scholarships had been granted to children and spouses of service members across the nation.

Kolquist and his teammates will be collecting donations for Folds of Honor throughout the month of February and into March until they deliver the bag to the family. Any one interested in contributing can address donations to Gustavus Golf, who will pool the money and present a check to the Foundation when fundraising is complete. Additionally, some members of the team will be tabling outside of the Market Place to collect donations and raise awareness.

“We want to get the word out of what it is and what we’re donating for. It’s a great cause, this foundation is relatively new and we are looking for a way to give back,” Kolquist said.

Kolquist expects the tournament will be even bigger and better next year, and would like the chance to experience it again.

“I’ve got one more year to try to make it. Hopefully we’ll make it to nationals this year and give some more kids on the team a chance to make it down there as well,” Kolquist said.