The 4th Annual Par 4 Patriots Charity Golf Tournament will tee off on September 20 at Fort Walton Beach Golf Club, bringing together community members to support two local organizations dedicated to helping veterans heal and recover.

• Presented by Eglin Federal Credit Union, the tournament benefits Healing Hoof Steps, a Crestview-based equine therapy program, and Defenders of Freedom Florida, which provides traumatic brain injury treatment for veterans at no cost.

“The funds from these types of events help us care for our therapeutic herd of horses and donkeys,” said Narissa Jenkins, Chief Executive Officer of Healing Hoof Steps. “Those are the biggest expenses that we have when you do therapy using animals — the cost of care and maintaining the facilities to keep them all happy, healthy and safe.”

Healing Hoof Steps operates as the only program within 500 miles that combines equine-assisted psychotherapy using licensed mental health counselors with an adaptive riding program on the same property. The organization currently serves approximately 150 individuals weekly through its two distinct programs.

• “Usually you will find one or the other, but it’s pretty rare that you have both,” Jenkins explained. “In our mental health program, everything works just like a traditional counselor’s office. They’re all licensed professionals. We have a team of six fully licensed therapists.”

The mental health program serves primarily veterans and their families, with 85% of clients being veterans, dependents or active duty service members. Participants work on post-traumatic stress, reintegration issues and family relationship challenges through ground-based activities with horses rather than traditional riding therapy.

“We use the horses’ behaviors in the environment to help teach people about learning about themselves and working through relationship building,” Jenkins said. “It’s a lot of metaphors and a lot of learning by experience, learning by doing instead of learning by being told.”

The program operates in-network with major medical insurance providers, offering clinical psychotherapy in an outdoor setting with the option to integrate animals into treatment activities designed around individual client goals.

Jenkins, daughter of a Vietnam War combat search and rescue veteran, founded the organization in 2015 after working in television and radio for more than 20 years. Growing up in Fort Walton Beach, she witnessed firsthand the effects of undiagnosed PTSD on military families.

• “My dad used to always get so mad when I would do magazines or interviews and I would say I grew up in a home with undiagnosed PTSD,” Jenkins recalled. “Back then you didn’t talk about post-traumatic stress.”

Her father flew combat search and rescue missions in Vietnam, and the family avoided crowded public events like bowling alleys, theme parks and football games due to his condition.

“What we know now about post-traumatic stress is how it doesn’t just affect the veteran, but it also affects the spouse and the kids that grow up into adults in our community,” Jenkins said. “It radiates out.”

The organization’s adaptive riding program serves individuals with physical and developmental disabilities, including those on the autism spectrum, multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy. Jenkins described cases where nonverbal children on the spectrum began talking or dressing themselves independently because they wanted to see their horse.

• “It’s really fascinating to see how these animals are able to create moments of healing for people in a way that they haven’t found in other places,” she said.

The second beneficiary organization, Defenders of Freedom Florida, sends veterans to Texas for comprehensive traumatic brain injury treatment at no cost to the participants. Led by Jamie Wells, a retired Army sergeant major who also serves on Healing Hoof Steps’ board, the organization addresses underlying brain injuries that may be misdiagnosed as anxiety or depression.

“You find a lot of veterans are being medicated for things like anxiety and depression, and it’s not really working,” Jenkins explained. “The reason is usually there’s a traumatic brain injury that’s the underlying cause. So no matter how much you medicate somebody with antidepressants, it’s not going to fix the program because you’re medicating the wrong thing.”

The Texas program provides two weeks of intensive, all-inclusive treatment including neurologists and dieticians with no out-of-pocket costs for veterans.

• Defenders of Freedom Florida also organizes local community events in Milton, Pace and Crestview designed to combat veteran isolation and encourage social engagement through activities like survival skills training.

While golfers compete on the course during the Par 4 Patriots tournament, a concurrent “Ponies, Patriots, Paint & Sip” event will take place on the veranda from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The $35 registration includes professional instruction from The Traveling Painter’s Emily Day, supplies, light hors d’oeuvres and a mimosa drink ticket.

Social media creator Megan Lynn, known for her Southern humor videos on TikTok and Facebook, will serve as special guest at the paint and sip event. The Marianna native creates cooking videos and commentary about Florida Panhandle life.

The golf tournament will feature an AR-15 adapted with a golf ball launcher, which Jenkins described as “one of the high points of the golf tournament” where participants “get to shoot this AR with a golf ball in it and they play the ball where it lands.”

• Organizers continue seeking donations of raffle baskets, gift certificates and prizes to support the fundraising effort. The event aims to build on previous years’ success while addressing growing demand for services.

Jenkins noted that despite having six licensed counselors, Healing Hoof Steps maintained a waiting list with “three digits” until recent state and county funding allowed construction of additional private offices and a covered riding arena.

“We love to collaborate with other organizations in serving veterans and reaching out to more people about what we do because it is very unique,” Jenkins said. “It’s really cool to have those different opportunities to engage with the public and share a little bit about how unique the things are that we do.”

Registration information and additional details about the Par 4 Patriots tournament is available here.