~ A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization ~February 7, 2012 • The Golden Soldiers

• Our History

• How it began...

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  No one could have ever predicted that the phone call Lindsey Turner received on October 15, 2007 would have turned into this. Lindsey was sitting in traffic when his longtime friend and Fraternity brother Allen Hill called to tell him that he was being called back to the war in Iraq.  Allen had already served one tour of duty and nobody expected he would be sent back. During the conversation Lindsey told Allen, “I know this sounds so cliché, but if our world could just remember the Golden Rule – treat others how you want to be treated, then none of this would be happening.”

  After they hung up the phone Lindsey decided he was going to start a non-profit to remind people of The Golden Rule. “I had no clue what I was going to call it, but then decided it would contain the word “Golden” for the Golden Rule. Next I thought Allen is a soldier, so I will call it The Golden Soldiers.”

  On October 16, 2007 Lindsey announced the founding of The Golden Soldiers. The Golden Soldiers originally started as an idea to spread the meaning of The Golden Rule, by performing random acts of kindness. The organization did a variety of missions, including sending Christmas stockings to troops in Iraq, assisting with building a special needs playground, adopting a family and providing Christmas gifts and services for them, sending over 5,000 Valentine’s Day cards to US Troops, and even partnering with St. Jude for the Give Thanks Walk.  However, what initially began as an idea for a group to perform random acts of kindness quickly grew into something much more.

  The Golden Soldiers’ second mission was Operation Playground, where The Golden Soldiers volunteered to build a new special needs playground in their local community.  Shortly after Operation Playground, Lindsey and his wife Melanie attended a special needs baseball game where they were buddies for special needs children.  It was at this event where Lindsey learned just how large the special needs community actually is. Lindsey spoke with parents of special needs children and learned about the struggles they face and the challenges of their everyday life. After much prayer, Lindsey met with The Golden Soldiers’ Board of Directors and suggested The Golden Soldiers focus on spreading the meaning of The Golden Rule by working with individuals with special needs.

  “I did not want to move away from our ultimate mission of spreading the meaning of The Golden Rule, but I wanted to alter how we would accomplish it. After spending time with special needs children I quickly realized how easy it was to treat them as if they were my own or even think about how I would feel if I were in a similar situation. I felt working with special needs children was a beautiful way to not only teach, but to spread the meaning of The Golden Rule,” states Turner.

  After a unanimous decision was made The Golden Soldiers began designing events they would host in honor of individuals with special needs. Since the transition, The Golden Soldiers host events such as the annual BIG DAY OUT, Sensory Friendly Movies, Special Needs Financial Planning Workshops, and also adopt teams in special needs baseball leagues. Most recently, The Golden Soldiers launched Mission Possible 365, which is a large viral movement to spread the meaning of The Golden Rule.
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