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July 1, 2009

Boys and Girls Club ‘worthy cause’

Second annual Phil Ford Golf Classic this month

KIMBERLY BELLAMY

The kickoff luncheon for the event that aims to bring in big name celebrities to raise big bucks for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Nash/Edgecombe County was held Tuesday: the Phil Ford Golf Classic kickoff luncheon.

For the second year, the former University of North Carolina star basketball player, Charlotte Bobcats assistant coach and Rocky Mount native Phil Ford is hosting two days of activities that will help provide funding for the area clubs.

"I am honored to put my name to such as worthy cause," Ford said to those who gathered at the Boys and Girls Club Nashville Unit from Edgecombe, Nash and points surrounding the counties.

The weekend of fundraising will begin on July 31 with a black-tie gala at the Gateway Convention Centre in Rocky Mount and will include cocktails, dinner, dancing and a raffle.

On Aug. 1, Ford will host a golf tournament at Birchwood Country Club in Nashville and a basketball clinic for the youth at Rocky Mount Senior High School, Ford's alma mater.

Both days will be a star-studded event with more than 20 celebrities confirmed to participate in the weekend of fundraising. The guest list includes Darrell Armstrong of the Dallas Mavericks, Wali Rainer of the Houston Texans, retired UNC head basketball coach Dean Smith and many others that are friends of Ford or have close ties to him.

The event provides many sponsorship opportunities ranging from $100 to $50,000 for individuals, businesses and corporations. All of the proceeds will benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of Nash/Edgecombe County.

Ford didn’t seem worried as he mentioned the push for fundraising in the current state of the economy.

The event has already gained sponsorship from many different businesses on all levels including Lowe’s, Barnhill Contracting Co., Southern Bank, Sara Lee, BB&T; and others.

“We’re getting a lot of support, and we’re happy that the community is getting involved in such tough times,” Ford said.

The organization is hoping to get close to the amount that they raised last year.

“Last year it (the goal) was $100,000, and we did exceed that, and we would like to stay in that range,” said Theresa Shaw, chief professional officer.

Shaw said that approximately 22 teams are signed up for the golf tournament, but they would like 26-30 teams.

Edgecombe County Commissioner Viola Harris attended the luncheon and expressed that she is working to get Edgecombe residents more involved. Harris is on the Boys and Girls Club Board of Directors along with Superintendent Craig Witherspoon, Board of Education Chairwoman Evelyn Wilson, Joe Dickens of the Edgecombe Extension Service office, Edgecombe Sheriff James Knight, County Manager Lorenzo Carmon and Earl Jenkins of Sara Lee.

The first step she took was making an announcement to the Rotary Club to spark the interest of the golfers in the club. She said her next step is to recruit volunteers ages 21 and up to help out with the tournament in any way possible, and encourage people to purchase a hole for $100.

“When they sponsor a team, they’re paying for a program,” Shaw said.

Both Shaw and Harris stressed the significance of what the event will do for the area clubs.

“We have 500-600 Edgecombe County kids, so we have to do our part,” Harris said.

“Otherwise it would mean us not being able to serve as many people as we would normally serve,” Shaw said.

For more information about the Phil Ford Golf Classic, contact Tony Orr at 977-9924.

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