The registration deadline for the third annual United Way of Loudon and Monroe counties golf tournament is fast approaching, and interested parties will need to submit entries by May 25.
Judy Fenton, United Way of Loudon County executive director, said 23 teams of four have signed up. Hopes are to have 26 teams for the fundraiser, which is scheduled to take place 8:30 a.m. June 3 at Rarity Bay’s golf course with a shotgun start at 9 a.m.
“It’s been, I’d just call it fairly stable,” Fenton said of the fundraiser’s attendance. “We had a little bit down (participation) last year, but it’s looking probably to be about the same averages this year. A lot of it depends on — this year we have different auction items and stuff ... and those are the dollars we don’t know going into it.”
United Way brings in $18,000-$20,000 with the fundraiser, with the two counties splitting the profit. The golf outing serves as United Way’s first large fundraiser of the year.
“Tellico Villagers love their golf, and Rarity Bay has very generously offered to let us do it there,” Susan Higginson, treasurer and campaign manager for the Tellico Village campaign, said. “That’s why I think so many Villagers would love to know more about the event, and when they find out how fun it is, maybe they’ll get more involved. ... Awareness is the key that people know about it and know that it’s helping agencies, that the money goes straight to helping agencies.”
Although the outing is largely attended by company teams, Higginson said she hopes to see more involvement from Villagers. Higginson’s team and a Tellico Village Property Owners Association team are the only groups from the local community. This will be the first year POA has had a team participating, but for Higginson, the outing has been an annual occurrence since the beginning.
“It’s very special; it’s a gorgeous setup,” Higginson said. “People have a really good time, and they feel really good because they’re helping some of our 34 agencies that we give to.”
Entry fee is $400 per team, which includes greens and cart fees, a continental breakfast, lunch, prizes and a goody bag. Snacks and beverages will also be provided on the course during play. Registration forms and a check need to be sent to United Way of Monroe County, PO Box 722, Sweetwater, TN, 37874. Forms can be found at www.myunitedwaymonroecounty.org and www.unitedwayloudoncounty.org.
Increasing the goal
After a successful campaign in the Village, community campaign members are looking to raise the bar even further this year at $100,000.
The golf fundraiser will be the first step toward achieving United Way’s ultimate goal of potentially $500,000, Fenton said, adding the board had not voted on the goal as of Thursday.
Higginson called the $100,000 goal a “challenge,” but she believes it should be attainable after Villagers donated $94,000 in last year’s campaign.
“It’s a challenge, and mainly because so many new people are moving into the Village,” Higginson said. “They’re simply not aware of the need, so our job is to really get the word out there. ... We’re hoping to generate that enthusiasm by bringing it to a round number like $100,000.”
The Village campaign start will be pushed up a month this time in September instead of October, Higginson said.
Hopes are by starting earlier it should give Villagers a better chance to reach their goal, Fenton said, adding “we’ll probably do the same thing with the rest of the campaigns in the county.”
“We think we need to be trying to be ahead in our campaign before the holidays come, the Thanksgiving and the Christmas (holidays), because last year we ran a little bit later with everything and that really makes it hard,” Fenton said. “Most of the time we would like to know by the end of January where we stand and what we have to do between January and February, and this will make that easier.”
Tellico Village was the second-highest contributor to the county goal of $487,500 last year.
Regardless of when the campaign starts, Higginson said awareness will be key to attaining such a high goal.
“We learn the more we communicate the more people understand the need,” Higginson said. “... Our givers tend to give whether or not we do events with them. They seem to want to give with no encouragement, so that’s why we want to focus on the street party. The leaders seem to already be aware, and I think they appreciate the party but we just weren’t getting the attendance we had hoped for. But they are by far the biggest givers.”
