'Opportunity to help students': Panama Country Club to hold Golf Fore Education tournament
LYNN HAVEN — Golfers soon will tee off in a tournament to help local students continue their education after high school.
The Panama Country Club is set to host the Golf Fore Education charity tournament on Sept. 17 to benefit the Bay Education Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works with Bay District Schools to promote and support education across the county.
The tournament will be a four-person scramble, meaning teams of four will compete and play their best shots. The majority of proceeds will be used by the foundation to help fund secondary education for select Bay students.
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"Everything that we garner from this event goes straight back into education," said Foundation Executive Director Kelly Langenberg. "Events like this also build community. It's an opportunity to network. It's an opportunity to philanthropize (and) it's also just an opportunity to help students who don't have as many opportunities."
Langenberg said her group funds tuition through the Take Stock in Children program, which not only helps foot the bill for underprivileged students, but it also prepares them for secondary learning.
Students who participate in the Take Stock program show academic promise but also come from families who might not be able to afford college or trade schools.
More than 90 high school students currently are enrolled in the program. There also are more than 70 others who have graduated from high school and are continuing their education.
Langenberg, who noted about a dozen Golf Fore Education charity tournaments have been held at the Panama Country Club, said it cost teams $600 to compete. There still is room for about nine teams to sign up, and 16 teams have registered so far.
"I'd love to see it sell out, which it has traditionally in the past," she said.
The title sponsor of the event is is CENTURY 21 Commander Realty, a real estate agency based in Panama City.
Charlie Commander, manager of the agency and treasurer for the Panama Country Club Board of Directors, said that in addition to being a chance to give back to local students, the tournament also is a way to appreciate what the Bay Education Foundation does for the community.
"We just think (the organization) is a great charity for Bay County and for the students of Bay County who otherwise would possibly have to struggle to go to college," Commander said.
Registration deadline to enter the Golf Fore Education tournament is Sept. 12. Those interested in signing up can call the Bay Education Foundation at 850 767 4111, or email Langenberg at Bayedfoundation@bay.k12.fl.us
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama Country Club to hold Golf Fore Education Tournament on Sept. 17
