It was a day of fun and fundraising as about 150 golfers, sponsors and volunteers took part in the Challenge at Trump National Aug. 11.
Tournament Committee Chairman Bill Hall hailed the ninth annual event as “another resounding success.”
The tournament generated enough money to ensure that we will achieve our goal of opening a 3D printing lab at our headquarters in Chantilly, Va., by the end of this year, according to YouthQuest Co-Founder and President Lynda Mann. This is an important step in the growth of our 3D ThinkLink Initiative, which helps at-risk teens strengthen their creativity, critical thinking and problem solving skills.
After Golf Entertainer Brad Denton’s demonstration of putting techniques the pros use, the players headed out onto the Championship Course at Trump National Golf Club, Washington, DC. Thanks to General Manager Det Williams, Director of Golf Kevin Morris, event planner Vicky Kurasz and the rest of the excellent Trump National staff, everything ran smoothly on and off the course.
The VIP guests assigned to each team included retired Major League Soccer goalkeeper Mike Ammann, pitchers Pete Schourek and Shawn Camp from Major League Baseball, active and retired members of Fairfax County Fire and Rescue, U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Brett Kayes and the always-supportive Washington Redskins alumni.
The day wrapped up with an award ceremony and reception, where Chris Eaton was remembered with a posthumous Volunteer of the Year Award. Chris, who had served as a volunteer at the tournament every year since 2008, suffered a fatal heart attack while competing in a triathlon a week after last year’s Challenge at Trump National. His mother, Betty Eaton, accepted a plaque honoring him during our VIP Reception on Aug. 7.
Joey Darley of Joey’s Smiles Photography and Scene2bSeen received the 2014 Community Partner Award in recognition of his longstanding support for YouthQuest’s mission.
New York Times bestselling author John Gilstrap joined us at both receptions to sign copies of his new thriller, End Game. As part of the live auction at our 2012 wine event, John offered to put the highest bidder in the book. Ryan and Tre Cage won the bidding and asked John to give the character their mother’s name. So while we know Jolaine Cage as a key YouthQuest volunteer, she’s a highly trained security specialist on the run in End Game.
We’re grateful to Michael Garcia and his staff at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in McLean, Va., for hosting the VIP Reception again this year. It was a great opportunity for our supporters to meet some of the young people they’re helping through their contributions to YouthQuest.
Five students who were participating in a week of 3D ThinkLink Lab immersion training showed off their creations and told our guests about how they’ve benefited from being involved in our project.
Several new sponsors joined us this year, including Wells Fargo Private Bank, which sponsored Brad Denton’s appearance.
This tournament wouldn’t be possible without the work of our volunteers, led this year by John Bloom. We deeply appreciate the time and effort everyone devoted to making the event a success.
Because of the generosity of our supporters, YouthQuest is doing more than ever to provide academic and vocational development, infrastructure and life-enriching experiences for America’s at-risk youth.
Our next tournament will take place on Monday, August 10, 2015. Sponsors are already signing up and we’re working on plans to make the 10th annual Challenge at Trump National the best one yet.
