Battle Buddies: Want to help Greenville area veterans receive service dogs? How to help.

Joe Clark played in his first cornhole tournament at Simpsonville's Warehouse at Vaughn's several years ago.

The competition was a fundraiser run by husband-and-wife duo, John and Jo Anne Creed, founders of Battle Buddies of the Carolinas. Battle Buddies serves North and South Carolina, raising, training and placing Golden retriever service dogs with veterans suffering from PTSD.

As Clark became friends with the couple, he learned more about their organization and decided to get involved.

On Wednesday, May 24, Clark will host a cornhole tournament at Simpsonville's Clock Tower Taproom & Billiards. The tournament begins at 7:30 p.m.

Entry for the tournament is $5. Half of the proceeds from the cornhole tournament will go to the three top players. The other half will benefit Battle Buddies.

The fundraiser has currently raised $696. Their goal is to raise $2,000.

Here's what to know about Battle Buddies

John, who served in the Marines, and Jo Anne have raised and trained service dogs for three years to assist organizations and individuals.

John has undergone eight spinal surgeries from non-combat-related injuries. Swayze is his service dog of four years who helps him with mobility issues and anxiety.

After their oldest son, Ryan, returned from his service in the 82nd Airborne, the Creeds recognized the complexity and severity of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Meeting more South Carolina veterans who struggle with the disorder and traumatic brain injuries showed the couple the need for service dogs, especially as soldiers returned from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In 2012, Battle Buddies was established by the Piedmont couple.

The Creeds chose Golden retrievers for veterans due to their intuitiveness towards anxiety attacks and seizures, as well as their people-pleasing nature.

"Recently, (during training) we had a female veteran who has a brain injury from the burn pits, which causes seizures and stuttering." Jo Anne said. "On the last day, we were at the graduation ceremony, and she had another seizure. The dog jumped up under the table and held her head up so she wouldn't hit her head."

For Jo Anne, one of the organization's biggest successes is its ability to partner with Clemson University.

"We partnered with them three years ago. We have the Animal Science and pre-vet majors raising our puppies from eight weeks until the veteran gets them. Then we do the final training. So that has been a huge success," she said.

Still, the need for service dogs continues to increase, JoAnne Creed said. Currently, the organization's waitlist for service dogs is one year.

Breeding, raising and training a service dog costs $10,000. The organization depends on fundraisers and events like the upcoming cornhole tournament in Simpsonville.

Clark said he comes from a family with a strong military background. He's motivated to show his appreciation and respect for veterans. He eventually wants to create cornhole jerseys geared toward suicide awareness for veterans.

"The common phrase for that is, 'I got your six.' There's a company out there that's called that and that's really what they're all about." he said. "Yes, they're making money making uniforms and stuff like that, but the whole point is keeping that mindset that there are people out there that are struggling."

To pre-register for the tournament in advance, you can visit the link here. $5 cash is due on arrival to the event. To enter the cornhole board drawing, visit Clower Tower Taproom's Venmo @clocktowercornhole. Every $5 donated is an entry for the drawing. For friends and family use code 5324 and comment your email if you are unable to attend the event to claim your prize. The winner will be announced that night and will be contacted to arrange pickup at Clock Tower Taproom and Billiards.

Nina Tran covers trending topics for the Greenville News. Reach her via email at ntran@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Greenville veterans need service dogs due to PTSD. Here's how to help.