Joel

Griffith

Farrior Letter

A and E

Congratulations to the Mr. and Mrs. Crosby – Our 92nd Wedding

Tara Woodring and Jeremy Crosby, both active duty service members, tied the knot at a sunset wedding on Pine Island at renowned Tarpon Lodge.

Its 92nd wedding, Operation Open Arms contributors gave the Crosbys a full-service wedding. “They did everything from the cake to the invitations, the lodging, the venue, everything,” says Woodring. “It was amazing.”

View the WINK News Story on the Crosby wedding here.

John Bunch, founder of Operation Open Arms, says the popularity of their free weddings has grown quickly since the first ceremony in 2005 and the ability to continue offering free weddings is in jeapordy.

According to Bunch, a ceremony and honeymoon can cost as much as $20,000, and while many local businesses donate their services, the organization’s coffers are drying up, as are the donors.

Without more help, he says, the group will soon have to decide whether to create a separate charity for weddings or stop offering the aid all together.

Click here to donate and assist Operation Open Arms‘ services to active duty service members. Click here to contribute your local services.

Display The Operation Open Arms Badge!

Help us spread the word and let your online visitors know you are making a difference for active duty service men and women at the same time. We invite you to post an Operation Open Arms Badge on your web site and link back to us.

Just right-click to download this OOA support badge and link the image to http://www.operationopenarms.org or add a text link to us on your web site anywhere you please.

Thank you for your continued support!

Operation Open Arms Provides Local Couple a Romantic Beach Wedding

Thanks to Pink Shell Resort and many other local contributors, Operation Open Arms was able to provide a local couple a free sunset wedding on Fort Myers Beach this past weekend. This celebratory event for Mr. and Mrs. Lopez was also a celebration of Operation Open Arms’ 90th free wedding.

Gabriel’s beautiful bride was working in an area Publix when she ran into Operation Open Arms founder, Captain John GiddyUp Bunch.

He gave me his card, told me to call him to get a charter fishing trip together when my boyfriend gets home from Afghanistan, instead he gave us a wedding.

View the Fox 4 News Coverage of Gabriel and Caitlyn Lopez’ wedding here.

Read the Cape Coral Breeze Article on this Fairy Tale Wedding here.

Mourning a Loss: Daniel Beougher

The family of Daniel Beougher mourns his loss during a press conference on Monday, Dec. 10. Lauren Beougher shares thoughts on the loss of her husband, Army Sgt. Daniel Beougher, who lost his life in a Dec. 8 hit-and-run accident.

Following the death of an Iraq war veteran who died in a hit-and-run crash in North Fort Myers, Captain John “GiddyUp” Bunch was determined to strengthen current state legislation, making it a misdemeanor to lend a vehicle to a person with a suspended driver license. He approached Sen. Burt Saunders, R-Naples, asking that a one-year license suspension, with the possibility of jail time, be added to the law.

Read more at NaplesNews.com.

Operation Open Arms and Pink Shell Resort Host 6 Weddings

Veteran’s Day, 11-11-11, and Six Weddings on Fort Myers Beach, Florida

Operation Open Arms and the Pink Shell Resort hosted six weddings on Veteran’s Day, November 11, 2011.  Fox 4 News reports on the joyous occasion in this video link.