May 10–Golfers are a generous group, playing in various charity tournaments throughout the year.
Central Virginia is no stranger to the events that help fight dreaded diseases and support various other causes as well. It’s all in good fun, but the money is extremely important to the number of organizations that conduct the tournaments. Two of the area’s biggest tournaments are hoping to make a big impact on their charities during these tough economic times. Bill Howard’s 11th Annual Alzheimer’s Association golf tournament was held this past week, and Mac McDonald’s annual event that benefits the UVa Children’s Hospital will be held on Monday. Putting on these large gatherings is no easy task. “After you’ve done it 11 years it’s a little bit easier,” Howard said. “The first couple of years we had to retrain people because of staff turnover in the association. Now, we had a tremendous staff that performs a lot of the tasks to help our event become a success. You don’t just jump out there and have a golf tournament.” McDonald agreed. Both McDonald and Howard have created another event that coincides with their tournament in order to get more folks involved, particularly spouses, who may not play golf.
McDonald is holding a fundraising party. Howard had a gala with a silent auction. During McDonald’s party, he will auction off the right to caddy for Pressel in Monday’s nine-hole exhibition match (read below for details), and is hoping to bring in $5,000 for the privilege.