The Tellico Village Ladies Golf Association Nine-Hole Golf League donated funds Sept. 14 from the annual “Women Fore Women” tournament to KARM Serenity House.
The event, played Aug. 16, is the league’s biggest fundraiser and contributed $5,793 for this year’s charity.
“The Tellico Village Nine-Hole Golf League every year does a big fundraiser and we have a tournament to raise money,” Sandy Borders, Women Fore Women league chair, said. “We always try to pick a charity that focuses on women and so … we picked to sponsor the KARM Serenity House.”
Serenity House is part of Knox Area Rescue Ministries and helps women in crisis get out of abusive relationships, homelessness or drug addictions. The ministry offers a safe place to stay — with children if applicable — for up to 18 months as women get their lives back on track.
“We just thought that was a good place where our money would go to a house that actually helps women get back on their feet and get back into society and do well,” Borders said. “We’re women and we want to help other women be able to have a good life if they can. We’re very fortunate, and so if we can help other women get back on their feet, I think that’s important to us.”
Funds were raised at the league’s member-only tourney at Toqua Golf Course, with a number of options available to boost scores in exchange for a donation. Each participant could purchase a $20 bag of tickets to be used on the course, which included a mulligan, a free shot out of a sand trap and an extra putt. Golfers could also pay either $5 or $10 on the course’s two par-5s to tee off from the 100- or 50-yard markers, respectively.
“We raised more money this year than we have any other year,” Kip Probst, TVLGA9 president, said. “It was a spectacular success.”
The morning ended with lunch, where the winners received prizes and attendees had the opportunity to make direct donations to the cause unrelated to golf perks.
League members presented a check to Serenity House representatives Sept. 14.
“We could all four of us go to present the check to the senior director of the house and actually meet the ladies in the house and get a tour of the house, so it was very nice,” Borders said. “They do a very nice job over there.”
For more information on KARM Serenity House, go to karm.org/serenity. To learn more about TVLGA9, visit tvlga9.org.
