WS Chronicle

Raising funds to assist high school students with scholarships is a major concern for many organizations.  On Saturday, Oct. 21, the Psi Phi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. held its inaugural scholarship golf tournament at the Reynolds Park Golf Course.

The tournament was created to find additional funds that will enable the fraternity to give out more scholarships to young men in Forsyth County who wish to attend college.

Donnie Holt, co-committee chairperson for the tournament, says he and a fellow fraternity brother were golfing and the idea hit them that a golf tournament could create some excitement for the chapter along with helping to fund their scholarship fund.

“At one time we were giving away 10 $1,000 scholarships to male students in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School system but recently our budget has been cut so last year we only gave away five scholarships,” Holt said.  “We went to the fundraiser chairperson and he agreed, so we appointed people in the chapter to a committee that we felt knew enough about golf and others who had contacts in the area.”

“We put together a good team and we went forward,” Holt continued.  “As a result we had 72 golfers who participated and we had over 90 individual hole sponsors, and after the dust settles, I think we made enough money to where we can increase the number of scholarships we give to local students in the school system next year.”

Holt stated he and the brothers of the chapter greatly appreciated all of the businesses that not only donated their time and money but just for “participating in the cause.”  He says there were around five or six sponsors for every hole on the course.

To generate some buzz for the tournament, the chapter reached out to every brother in the chapter along with putting notifications in golfing publications.  They also made fliers that they put out at all of the area golf courses.  For Holt he was more than pleased with the number of participants that decided to come out and play.

“If we would have gotten 60 golfers we would have been ecstatic, so to have 72 golfers come out to fill the entire golf course was great,” Holt continued.

According to Holt, the Psi Phi Chapter has been giving away annual scholarships for as long as he can remember.  He says they go out to the guidance counselors and give them applications to give to college bound senior boys.

“Each year we have a scholarship committee that looks at the applications that are presented to us and we determine who will receive a scholarship based on how much money we have in the scholarship pool,” he said.  “This is the reason why we wanted to have this golf tournament so we could raise more money for scholarships.”

Holt says they more than likely will have enough money to give out 7 or 8 scholarships this year.  He also stated the tournament will help fund other chapter ventures such as fruit baskets for widowed wives of chapter brothers and Thanksgiving dinners they give away to the community.

For Holt he says to have a chance to assist the young men in Forsyth County with scholarships has always been a main concern for the chapter.  He says for him to help the next generation in any way makes him feel great.

“I am a retired educator, so if you don’t qualify or your paperwork is not in order, the grant money is not there and now you have to take out loans,” Holt said.  “So many college kids come out of school in debt it’s unbelievable so the fact we are reaching out and trying to assist these young brothers to pursue higher education is key.

“We value education and that is the first step,” he went on to say.  “So just the fact we are in a position to assist these guys and encourage them to pursue their education means the world to us.”

The chapter would like to thank all of their sponsors for their assistance in the tournament, especially J. Mark Oliver DDS, PA and Associates, Platinum Designer Cuts and Winston-Salem Federal Credit Union.  Bob King Kia also supplied a 2017 Kia Soul to anyone who made a whole in one and Windsor Jewelers also supplied a Breitling watch for a hole in one, also.

Holt says with the success of this tournament they plan to make this an annual event going forward.