Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (April 19, 2013)
Annual charity golf tournament WA CLUB on course to reach $1 million in donations BREMERTON, Wash. — There’s a charity golf event that has been held an- nually for the last 13 years in Bremerton that is really making a difference for three non-profit organiza- tions. The Washington CLUB Charity Golf Classic (CLUB is the acronym for Contractors, Legislators, Unions and Business) is ex- pected to reach the $1 mil- lion mark in donations when it tees up Wednesday and Thurs- day, June 12-13, at the Gold Mountain Golf Complex in Bremerton. “When we started this thing we had modest goals and really no idea if it would see a second year,” said Jon Bet- tendorf of Portland-based Quest Invest- ment Management, and a co-founder of the CLUB. The goal, he said, was to create an event where people from the four groups could come together in a social setting, deepen their working relation- ships, and at the same time produce meaningful charitable contributions that would benefit both people in need and the community at large. “I remember it well,” recalls co- founder Gordy Howins, a retired busi- ness manager of Tacoma-based Operat- ing Engineers Local 612. “Six or seven guys sitting around brainstorming this idea of a charity golf tournament de- signed for all the trades, not just one or a few. We all had an honest desire to get business and labor together away from the negotiating table and build relation- ships to do something good.” Another co-founder, Nate Drake, a retired business manager of the Carpen- ters Union in Tacoma, said the first thing they did was decide where to do- nate the money. “Even before coming up with a name,” he said. They decided to focus on three char- ities — one local, one regional, and one national. The three selected were Holly Ridge Center in Bremerton, which serves children and adults with disabil- ities through its neurodevelopment cen- ter and job training and placement serv- ices for adults (local); Children’s Hospital in Seattle (regional); and the Diabetes Research Institute located at the University of Miami, in Florida (na- tional). Prior to the CLUB’s inception in 2000, unions raised money exclusively for the Diabetes Research Institute through an annual DAD’s Day Golf Tournament. Dollars Against Diabetes (DADs) is a campaign organized by the national Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO. “It was a great event, but we felt we could make it better,” Howins said. Howins had an ambitious vision to triple the size of the DAD’s Day Tour- nament — filling not just one, but two, golf courses. He also proclaimed that CLUB would offer the biggest post-golf raffle in the Pacific Northwest. Many participants believe he succeeded. Each year after DAD’s Day, the Building and Construction Trades De- partment ranks events nationwide ac- cording to their donations. In 1999, Washington’s DAD’s Day golf tourna- ment ranked 52nd. For the past two years, the Washington CLUB has re- ceived DAD’s Day’s No. 1 ranking. The CLUB also ranks as the top donor/supporter for Holly Ridge Cen- ter, a position it has held since 2001. Brian Remington, owner of Golf & Corporate Solutions, the event manager hired by the CLUB to run the golf tourna- ment, said, “We probably put on 40 tournaments, and double that with corporate events, and the CLUB is the biggest of its kind.” Remington also praised the operators of Gold Mountain Golf Course, where the tournament has been held from the very be- ginning. “They have been a fan- tastic partner of the CLUB. Year in and year out this event is one of the largest and best events at their fa- cility,” he said. Another component that has added to the popularity of the event is the Pre- CLUB Tournament. Devised by Randy Goodwin of Washington Capital Man- agement and Rick Hansen of Rainier Investment Management, the Pre- CLUB offers a fun, mini-tournament the day before the big tournament. At the Pre-Club golfers play their own ball over 18 holes. The format for the fol- lowing day’s CLUB Tournament is a four-person scramble. “The Pre-Club helps make the CLUB a complete package,” Hansen said. “The Pre-Club is more casual, but competitive, with a unique format.” “Not only that,” Goodwin added, “where else do you find business com- petitors with their arms around each other? “We could not be more pleased and proud of the success of he CLUB,” Goodwin continued. “This event does so much good and it is very fun to be a part of.” Bettendorf, who chairs the all-volun- teer CLUB Golf Committee, said the group has some special things planned this year to celebrate the $1 million milestone. “If you have never been to the CLUB, please consider it this year” he said. “It is such a satisfying achieve- ment and I am extremely proud to be teamed up with the men and women of the CLUB Committee. Everyone in the group is committed to the success of our event, and the real winners are our char- ities.” For more information or to register for the Washington CLUB Charity Golf Classic, go on line to www.wa-club.org. Fishing derby for Guide Dogs May 4 The third annual Salmon Fishing Derby will be held Saturday, May 4, on the docks at RiverPlace Marina, behind the RiverPlace Hotel in downtown Port- land. The event, sponsored by Machinists District W24, is a fundraiser for Guide Dogs of America (GDA). The International Association of Machinists founded GDA in 1948 in Syl- mar, California, to train and provide guide dogs to the blind, free of charge. The organization receives no government funding. To breed, raise and train one guide dog costs $38,000. In two years, the Machinists District W24 derby has raised $24,000. Entry is $200 per person, with a limit of four anglers per boat. Boats are staffed with professional fishing guides. This year a limited number of anglers can use their own boats. Registration is $100 per angler. Prizes are awarded for biggest fish and most fish landed. Following the derby there will be a luncheon and raffle. The deadline to register is April 5. Sponsorship space also is available, ranging from $100 for a Bronze spon- sor all the way to $1,500 for a Diamond sponsor. For more information or to register, go to www.iamw24.org or email com- municator@iamw24.org. PAGE 12 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS APRIL 19, 2013
