Despite an economy stuck in the rough, organizations are pushing ahead this year with plans for charity golf tournaments to benefit a range of causes.
On May 19, Whitney Farms Golf Course in Monroe was scheduled to host the Chip in for Celiac Golf Tournament, sponsored by the Wheeler family to benefit the Center for Celiac Research at the University of Maryland and the Greater New Haven Celiac Group. The organizations center their work on celiac disease, a disorder triggered by gluten in wheat and other products that can damage the digestive tract.
Participants will want to replace their divots: the following day, Whitney Farms gears up for UFCW Local 371”™s eighth annual leukemia and lymphoma charity golf tournament.
And so it goes for the remainder of the spring and summer, with area courses scheduling philanthropic gatherings primarily on weekdays when many members are at the office.
Richter Park Golf Course in Danbury is the site of the June 15 Ladies Golf Classic supporting Ann”™s Place, a Danbury organization that provides support to cancer patients and their families. Sponsored by Union Savings Bank, Stew Leonard”™s and several other regional businesses and individuals, the event drew more than 100 golfers, including some from New York City.
The overriding question is whether tournaments will generate as much traction in the recession. Two thirds of philanthropic donors polled last month by the Foundation Center expect to reduce their charitable giving this year, possibly by as much as 10 percent in total.
It remains to be seen whether that will also cut into charity golf tournaments, which in addition to raising funds also provide a networking function for local businesspeople. For its part, Ann”™s Place has rolled back its entry fees from the $190 donation it solicited last year to $175 this year.
