Golfers from on and off the Island will hit the links this weekend for the 23rd annual Children’s Benefit Golf Tournament, hosted by the Farm Neck Golf Club.
All proceeds go to the Martha’s Vineyard Boys & Girls Club and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cape Cod and the Islands. The tournament raises about $35,000 each year.
The deadline to enter is Wednesday, May 31. The event starts at 8 a.m. Sunday, June 4, rain or shine, and concludes with an awards luncheon at Farm Neck.
This year also marks a milestone for the Boys & Girls Club, which celebrates its 80th year on the Island. An anniversary gala is planned for July 27.
The tournament provides key funding for the two organizations, both of which have seen significant growth in recent years.
“More kids are in need than ever before,” Boys & Girls Club executive director Jessie Damroth said this week, estimating that participation has doubled since last summer. “We have to keep our services at a reduced rate, and to be able to do that we need support from the community.”
She pointed to a variety of factors leading to the increase, including the cost of housing and food, and also addiction in the community.
“We have more kids than ever that are being raised by grandparents or great-grandparents or other family members due to the death or incarceration of one or both parents,” Ms. Damroth said.
JR Mell, regional director for Big Brothers Big Sisters, said the number of Island kids participating in his program has tripled since around 2014, with more kids being raised by grandparents as a result of addiction in their families.
The Boys & Girls Club, along with Martha’s Vineyard Community Services, Island schools, and a variety of other groups in the region, work together to coordinate referrals to Big Brothers Big Sisters.
“We couldn’t survive without partnerships,” Mr. Mell said.
Sponsors for the tournament include Cronig’s Market, Rockland Trust, Martha’s Vineyard Insurance, Martha’s Vineyard Savings Bank, Barrett and Company, Crane Appliance and Vantage Philanthropy. Newcomers this year include l’etoile restaurant, Roysters oyster farm, and Little Wooden Boat Productions.
For more information, visit farmneck.net, mvbgclub.org, or bbbscci.org.
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