Area Golfers Will Tee Off For Charity
Teeing up Oct. 17 at Coral Creek Golf Course in Ewa Beach will benefit three local organizations and one area school.
Hosted by Ewa Beach-based Thank God for Golf Club, the charity golf tournament will help fund the needs of Honolulu Community Action Program, Honolulu Diocese Clergy Pension Fund, Our Lady of Good Counsel School in Pearl City and U.S. Vets. The club currently is seeking tournament participants and donors.
Comprised of nearly 40 golfers, the club was formed in 2008 as the St. Jude Catholic Church Golf Club by members of the Kapolei-based church.
“We thought this would be an opportunity to raise monies to help those whom we rarely hear about that need the funds,” explained TGFG secretary and events chairwoman Genara Buza-Campos. “We believe we are a needed supplement for their larger problems. We know every little bit counts.”
The club has been raising money since its inception. Initially, it began as a “pass the hat” collection that would be donated to St. Jude Catholic Church for books and other supplies in its religious education programs, storage equipment, and a freezer for its food pantry. In 2013, the group hosted its first golf tournament to benefit the church.
“Since last year’s fund-raising golf tournament for SJCC was a success, we thought, ‘Why not raise funds for others in the community who need help too?’ ” Buza-Campos recalled.
HCAP was the first recipient that came to mind, since it assists houseless and low-income individuals — something that all club members are passionate about. HCAP provides various services and programs that aim to alleviate the effects of poverty.
Because a few of the TGFG members are veterans, supporting U.S. Vets seemed like a natural choice, too.
“We had a tour of their facility and met some of the veterans and staff members,” Buza-Campos explained. “Their budget funds needs of veterans who returned from Iraq and Afghanistan who served minimum time in military service, cannot return to service, and therefore have no job, no home, and are in need of help to get back into society.”
The desire to help the Honolulu Diocese Clergy Pension Fund came about from conversations with their own pastors.
“We talked to priests about their welfare after retirement. Basically, they are on their own after all that they do for us,” Buza-Campos said.
Finally, they decided to include Our Lady of Good Counsel School in the mix with the hope of being able to provide keiki with scholarships.
“They are in need of scholarship funds to help struggling families who want to enroll their children at the school,” she said.
For those who don’t want to play golf but still want to help, donations are welcome. The deadline for registration or to send in donations is Oct. 10.
Thank God for Golf Club welcomes players of all skill levels to participate in its monthly events.
For more information and to register, email tgfg@hawaii.rr.com or visit tgfg.weebly.com.
