Teeing Off for Second Chances with BCCC Foundation | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    WASHINGTON, N.C.     There are second chances in golf, and there are second chances in life. To many people in the area, Beaufort County Community College is a mulligan, a chance to try again, at a new career, better grades or to move ahead. The BCCC Foundation-Nutrien 25th Annual Invitational Golf Tournament for Scholarships will give golfers the opportunity to help students in the community have a clear shot to the career they have strived towards. Nutrien is sponsoring the tournament Friday, October 19 at Cypress Landing Golf Club. The Embers Featuring Craig Woolard will play the following week at the Washington Civic Center on October 25. The event also includes a silent auction during the Embers concert. Tickets are required, and there will be no tickets sold at the door.

    Patrons can enjoy dinner catered by Carry-Out by Chrislyn and a cash bar as they listen to beach music of the Embers and bid on items in the silent auction. The South Carolina Beach Music Hall of Fame inducted The Embers into its ranks. They have also been honored with the title of North Carolina's Official Ambassadors of Music.

    The tournament and auction are the largest single annual fundraising event for the foundation. It will raise funds for scholarships to help eligible students with the cost of tuition and books, as well as emergency grants. Last year, the foundation awarded a total of $150,000 to 140 students.

    "For families on tight budgets, shelling out $300 for books can be the difference between a student attending or sitting out a semester," said Serena Sullivan, VP of institutional advancement. "We had one student approach us this year who did not qualify for financial aid due to her performance when she first attempted college. Decades later, she was ready to give it another shot. She earned a 4.0 GPA during her first semester with us."

    That student was so grateful for the opportunity that she created art to donate to the silent auction, despite serious health problems that are forcing her to take a semester off. Items for the auction are donated from students, employees and local businesses.

    The tournament will be a four-person super ball format with teams pre-flighted based on each golfer's handicap. The entry is fee $85 per player and includes lunch, cart rental and greens fee. Team prizes will be awarded by 18-hole score in each of three flights. Four prize packages for "closest to the pin" shots will also be awarded.

    "Over the last few years, we've seen our donations increase, as well as the number of donations," Sullivan pointed out. "The community is really seeing the impact we are making on local lives and industry."

    The foundation is now accepting team and hole sponsorships, along with registrations for teams and players and donations for the silent auction. For tickets or a tournament registration form, contact Serena Sullivan at 252-940-6326.

• Contact: Attila Nemecz
•     Attila.Nemecz@beaufortccc.edu