Golf Benefit Success and Beyond!

What started off to be a day that was going to be filled with thunderstorms and damper on our 2010 Jimmy Biggs Memorial Cabrini Connections' Golf Benefit turned out to be a GREAT day! In a non-profit program where fundraising is essential to obtaining the resources needed to keep the program running, the golf benefit is our biggest FUNdraiser of the year and we made the most of the HOT and sunny day!

The team of staff, interns, volunteers, and students got the day started by meeting and greeting the golfers as they prepared for a fun-filled day out on the course. Thanks to 2nd year volunteer Shannon Murphy and her personal team of assistants, the golfers registered without a problem, received all of the information they needed for the day, and were greeted with a smile before heading inside to cool off and grab lunch. We decided to do a little something different during the lunch part of the day. We set up a small display of some of our more select silent auction items to entice our lunch goers to place early bids on the items even before the dinner events...and it worked!!!

After lunch it was time to hit the course!!! Around 1pm all of the golfers got on their carts prepared for the shotgun start. While the golfers enjoyed their day swinging the clubs looking to get a hole in 1, beat the members of their foursome, and/or just network and enjoy the benefit...the CC, T/MC Team spent our time accommodating the golfers and sharing more information about the overall organization. Another GREAT addition to this year's golf benefit was the presence and project of veteran Cabrini Connections' student Melissa Young.

Melissa Young will be entering her junior year at Josephenium Academy and inside of the program she is a member of the Video and Filmmaker's Club. Melissa took on the project of interviewing golfers and guest throughout the day just asking them who they are and why they have chosen to support Cabrini Connections through the golf benefit. Not only was the golfer more than willing to be in front of the camera, but Melissa was so inspired by this project and the experience of the golf benefit she is looking to make a career being behind the scenes in the entertainment industry. Here is a quote from Melissa that she put on facebook immediately following the golf benefit.

"I have a goal and my goal is 2 become a famous video/music producer. I have all these ways I can get there but I could not do it without Cabrini Connections. I had fun out there at the golf benefit. It was hot but we made it through. I had so much fun meeting board members and watching them golf."

The 2010 Jimmy Biggs Memorial Golf Benefit ended with a dinner and silent auction where all in attendance had the opportunity to eat, socialize, network, bid on some great silent auction items and hear some great stories about the organization and why it is so important to support. My wish is that everybody who attended the golf benefit makes an effort to tell just 3 people in their network what they did yesterday and why. Tell them how they attended a golf benefit and how the proceeds will go to assist students with getting into a college and a career, and how they should think about supporting as well!

Thanks goes out to all of those who made this event possible and there are too many people to name, but just know that we definitely appreciate all of the work and effort that went into the event and for all of those who will continue work towards making the program a success. Special Thanks again to tutor/mentor Shannon Murphy for going above and beyond the tutor/mentor role and helping us with this project. GREATLY APPRECIATED! If you missed the opportunity to support or be a part of the golf benefit, our next major event is our Tutor/Mentor Jam and we accept donations all throughout the year. Thanks for getting involved!