The Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County hosted its 33rd annual golf tournament to benefit the Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club of Wellington on Saturday, Oct. 11 at the Wanderers Club. The tournament and the day’s events raised nearly $27,000 for the club. There were 128 supporters participating in the tournament.
In addition to beautiful weather and 18 holes of golf, the participants had endless opportunities for fun throughout the afternoon. Prior to taking to the course, the golfers were treated to brunch, courtesy of TGI Fridays, Whole Foods and Kennesaw Juice. The golfers also had time to enter into a raffle and take a first glance at several silent auction gifts. Following the 12:30 p.m. shotgun start, there was plenty of entertainment on the course, such as a rocket ball launcher, a longest drive contest, a closest to the pin contest and a hole in one contest.
The event wrapped up with dinner, the culmination of the silent auction, both committee and sponsor recognition, and the awards presentation.
The man responsible for the fun was Ed Portman, who has organized the tournament for 33 years.
“It has been a great 33-year ride planning this tournament to benefit the children at the Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club,” he said. “I’ve been blessed with great committee members and sponsors. This year’s committee was a refreshing surprise, because every time I turned around, someone was there to help.”
Portman now sits on the Wellington Board of Directors, which oversees the Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club.
Eight other committee members, under Portman’s direction, were instrumental in the success of this year’s golf outing: Todd Barron, Jim Bomar, Elliot Bonner, Max Cohen, Clive Henry, Julie Kime, Ray Mooney and Mickey Smith.
The event would also not have been possible without the support of this year’s sponsors. The gold sponsors were the Wanderers Club, the International Polo Club Palm Beach and Orchard Hill Polo; silver sponsors B/E Aerospace, Deloitte, Ernst Young, Lesser, Lesser, Landy & Smith, Price Waterhouse and the Barron Group at UBS Financial.
Raising nearly $27,000 is a huge success and a record high. Proceeds from the day’s events benefit the Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Clubs of Wellington, one of 13 clubs run by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County. The club emphasizes educational, vocational, social, recreational, health, leadership and character-building skills in a positive and safe atmosphere. Through quality programs, the club experience provides children with the guidance they need to make a healthy transition from childhood to young adulthood.
The clubs throughout Palm Beach County serve more than 6,000 children ages 6 to 18. For more information, visit www.bgcpbc.org or call (561) 683-3287.
