Celebrity Greens, a company that specializes in the design and installation of world class synthetic golf greens, signature par 3 golf holes and short courses, and PGA caliber short game areas is again teaming up with Folds of Honor to recognize the commitment and sacrifice made by military service members, first responders and their families.
This installation, the sixth time benefiting a Folds of Honor recipient family, is the initial time supporting a first responder family since the Folds of Honor mission expanded to serve the first responder community in 2022.
Folds of Honor is a nonprofit organization that provides educational scholarships to the spouses and children of fallen or disabled military service members and first responders. Since its inception in 2007, the foundation has awarded nearly 62,000 scholarships totaling about $290 million in all 50 states.
Receiving the installation is the Truel family from Southgate, including scholarship recipient Joseph, and his father, retired police Corporal Chris Truel, who was gravely wounded in the line of duty. The backyard makeover is scheduled to start on September 10th and fittingly conclude on September 11th. Spearheading the installation is local Celebrity Greens dealer Michigan Turf Pros in conjunction with national representatives from Arizona, Wisconsin, Charlotte, Texas and Florida. The makeover will include a custom 1,000 square foot putting and chipping green with four to five holes, a chipping area and a hitting net.
Interview opportunities are available both remotely and on site both days. Please contact Gina Weber at Celebrity Greens for additional details at gina@celebritygreens.com or 1-888-507-7960.
Joseph is currently in his senior year at Eastern Michigan University where he is studying Mechanical Engineering Technology. Along with his academic pursuits, Joseph has been involved in two clubs, the Drone Club and the Battle Bot Club.
In the Drone Club, the objective was to build a delivery drone that could carry a two-pound payload. The club fully designed a quad motor drone, fabricated the body panels with a 3D printer, and procured the necessary parts. The Club far exceeded the original plan and successfully carried a five-pound payload.
The Battle Bot Club sought to fabricate and build a battle bot to compete in the campus battle bot competition. Joseph’s bot fought valiantly but was defeated in battle.
Joseph has worked part-time at The Home Depot as an Order Fulfillment Associate. He was also selected for a corporate summer internship at The Home Depot's corporate campus in Atlanta focusing on the company's supply chain and logistics operations.
In 2024, in conjunction with Anheuser-Busch, he and his father represented Folds of Honor and were recognized at Ford Field for a Detroit Lions game.
Police Corporal Chris Truel comes from a long line of those who have served in uniform. Several generations of the Truel family enlisted in the US Army, but Chris opted for the Detroit Police Department when he was 19 years old. He later transferred to the Dearborn Police Department. During his police career he served both in uniform and undercover, and was a Field Training Officer. It was during his service in Dearborn that he was grievously wounded in the line of duty during a police shooting. Despite his desire to remain on the force, he retired from his career in law enforcement in 2009 with a line of duty total and permanent disability. He received the Departmental Citation Medal & Certificate in 1998 from the Detroit Police Department.
Since retirement, he has endured near constant pain related to his injuries. Chris has had 53 surgeries to date including a craniotomy to address the traumatic brain injury that he suffered that caused epileptic seizures. Despite the pain and disability, he volunteered for over five years with a national ministry for veterans and first responders and served weekly at the family’s home church as a small group leader for male veterans and first responders.
While Joseph was an infant, Chris worked the midnight shift completing his bachelor's degree in Business Administration at Purdue University. He had planned on going to law school to later become a prosecuting attorney or police chief.
"I'd like to thank the team at Folds of Honor and Celebrity Greens for graciously supporting my family,” said Chris Truel. “I'd also like to thank the generous donors who support Folds of Honor, including the Weber family from Celebrity Greens. By stepping into the void to support the children of our nation’s best and brightest, our families are impacted with generational change. My son is a big golf fan and is thrilled to have his own chipping and putting green at home to fine tune his game.”
About Celebrity Greens
Celebrity Greens is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona and specializes in the design and installation of world class synthetic golf greens, signature par 3 golf holes and short courses, and PGA caliber short game areas for residential and commercial applications worldwide. Celebrity Greens has a network of 60+ offices throughout the world and is regarded as the premier synthetic golf and landscape company with over 29 years of industry experience and expertise. The Founders of Celebrity Greens have led the industry since 1996 and have designed and installed golf greens for over 75 PGA Tour Players, elite athletes, celebrities and avid golfers and have installed tens of thousands of synthetic turf projects all over the world including tee lines, short courses, artificial lawns, pet turf, playgrounds, sports fields, and other indoor and outdoor recreational surfaces. For more information, visit www.celebritygreens.com
About Folds of Honor
Folds of Honor is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization that provides educational scholarships to the spouses and children of US military service members and first responders who have fallen or been disabled while serving our country and communities. Our educational scholarships support private school tuition or tutoring in grades K-12, tuition for college, technical or trade school and post-graduate work, including a master’s degree, doctorate, or professional program. Funds for a second bachelor’s degree or trade/technical program certification are also available. Since its inception in 2007, Folds of Honor has awarded nearly 62,000 scholarships totaling about $290 million in all 50 states. Among the students served, 45 percent are minorities. A total of 91 percent of expenses fund our mission of providing educational scholarships to the families of our nation’s heroes. It is rated a four-star charity by Charity Navigator and Platinum on Candid. It was founded by Lt Col Dan Rooney, the only-ever F-16 fighter pilot (with three combat tours in Iraq) and PGA Professional. He is serving as Commander of Recruiting for the Oklahoma Air Guard. For more information or to donate in support of a Folds of Honor scholarship visit foldsofhonor.org.