The Tribune

GOLF aficionados ascended onto the grounds of the Ocean Club Golf Course on Paradise Island Monday afternoon for the 33rd annual Charity Golf Tournament organised by The Rotary Club of East Nassau & The Scout Association of The Bahamas, where an excess of $160,000 was raised for local charities.

International brewer and title sponsor, Stella Artrois stood in full support of the game and, according to patrons and organisers, this year’s fundraising game has far exceeded expectations.

“This year I think we have well exceeded our goal. It’s at least past two-hundred thousand dollars this time,” revealed former President of The Rotary Club of East Nassau, Geoff Andrews.

Andrews explained that the funds will be distributed to the Fourteen Clubs Golf Academy, Project Read, and a list of various local charities, most of whom depend greatly on the generosity of the non-profit organisation to survive. “The Golf Academy, a programme for young golfers, will be one of the recipients of the fundraiser. We also regularly support The Bahamas Physically Disabled Association and provide hearing aids for underprivileged children,” he added.

“The Bahamas Sailing Association and The Scout Association of The Bahamas also benefit from the tournament. They are directly involved by providing much needed manpower on the day of the tournament and bringing in sponsorships.”

According to Executive Vice President of The Scout Association of The Bahamas, Donald Thomlison, the benefits of this tournament have been seen for over twenty years.

“We’ve managed to incorporate thousands of young scouts throughout the country. We appreciate the partnership,” Thomlison stated. “This is the number one golf tournament in Nassau, it draws a lot of players and it really has done so much for others.”

Some 116 golfers participated in this year’s tournament, which began promptly at noon and saw a full array of veteran golfers, professionals, and newbies who filled the Ocean Club Golf Course on what was described as a perfect day.

Veteran Freeport golfer Vernon Wells, who teamed up with Rotarian Adrian White, and played for White Law Chambers, flew into Nassau for the event.

“This is one of the best courses in The Bahamas,” noted Wells. “It was a beautiful day for golf, on a great course, so well attended and organised. I truly enjoyed myself and will be back.”

Past President of The Rotary Club of East Nassau, Lindsay Cancino, detailed the dynamics of Rotary and the powerful impact it creates for the local community.

“What’s great about organisations like Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions [is that] they’re all service clubs. They act typically like a support in providing much of the needed resources for non-profit organisations,” he said.

“This year we are very pleased to have Stella Artois on board as our title sponsor. Their assistance, both financially and with product, enables us to save thousands that we can give back to others.”

Representatives of the international brand carried the same thoughts.

Stella Artois Caribbean sales and marketing manager Manuel Bartolo expressed his great satisfaction as the new title sponsor.

“When I see what Rotary can do, we know that it matches us,” said Bartolo. “We believe in community support and we see that giving back and supporting each other is what Rotary is doing here.”

After watching a steady growth of its brand within The Bahamas, Bartolo explained that the brand had much to gain from the golf tournament since the fundraiser is so popular and highly esteemed.

That same reason was echoed by brand manager of Anheuser-Busch at Bahamian Brewery, Keiani Worrell, who outlined the impact of such great community outreach.

“Because of the work Rotary has been doing within The Bahamas with different organisations such as the AIDS Foundation and Fourteen Clubs, we thought this was the perfect opportunity to partner,” she stated.

“This is the community we live in. This is the place we do business in, so this allows us to promote our product as well as support those who need help.”

• The first tournament was established in 1985 and since then, the tournament has raised an estimated $3 million dollars in sponsorship and donations. The golf tournament has seen major support from companies such as ALIV, NAGICO Insurance, Sands Brewery and Scotiabank, which have all partnered as giant sponsors for the organisation.