Golf Tournament has Record Setting Year

Thunder boomed and lightening flashed in the distance as the rain poured down on the 210 golfers set to tee-off. Several golfers stood stranded under the lunch tent looking at a clearing in the distance.

"It’s gonna clear," said one golfer to another. "This is going to be a beautiful day to golf."

Moments later the rain cleared and another record-setting year for the Bricks and Sticks Golf Classic was underway.

For the fifth year in a row, the Golf Committee has set new records for golfers, sponsors, and volunteers. The committee is still tallying the final receipts and a total amount raised will be announced in October.

Builders Association Executive Officer Cori Donaghy attributes the overall success of the event to the change in venue, the dedication of the committee volunteers, the increased donation from Title Sponsor Fulton Bank, and the support of many sponsors and golfers.

Tom Mesko, Executive Director of Habitat agreed. "The change to Penn State was a very positive move," he said. "Just having all the golfers there at once for the two afternoon flights made the event much better. I also think it helped us with the sponsorships. We had more folks step up this year."

The move from the Elks Country Club to the Penn State Golf Courses not only had an impact on the bottom line, but also benefited the activities held on Thursday night. More than 100 golfers came out to enjoy great food, drinks and entertainment.

"The Thursday night Kick-off Reception was a tremendous success!" said Donaghy. "Our goal was to set the stage for players to network with each other, participate in some fundraising activities like our Putting Contest and 100-Square Raffle Boards, and get fired up about the tournament the next day. It worked out perfectly."