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Bemidji Boys and Girls Club hosts 20th annual Golf Fore Club Kids, raises over $60,000

The Boys and Girls Club of the Bemidji Area hosted its 20th annual Golf Fore Club Kids event Monday afternoon, raising over $60,000.

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A group tees off on hole No. 1 during the Boys and Girls Club 20th Annual Golf Championship on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, at the Bemidji Town and Country Club.
Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer

BEMIDJI – Back in 2004, when the Boys and Girls Club of the Bemidji Area hosted the first annual Golf Fore Club Kids, the event brought in roughly $2,000 after expenses.

At this year’s 20th iteration of the tournament, the club raised just over $60,000.

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Golfers check in during the Boys and Girls Club 20th Annual Golf Championship on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, at the Bemidji Town and Country Club.
Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer

“Sometimes, we all can reflect on the fact that we can come from humble beginnings,” Boys and Girls Club of the Bemidji Area Executive Director Andrea Kent said. “With people believing in us and people supporting us and, having it wrap around business and individuals and volunteers, the sky’s the limit.”

Over the two decades of its existence, the annual Golf Fore Club Kids tournament has raised over $550,000 for the Boys and Girls Club of the Bemidji Area.

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A group tees off on hole No. 1 during the Boys and Girls Club 20th Annual Golf Championship on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, at the Bemidji Town and Country Club.
Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer

The money raised from the event supports the bevy of year-round programs held for hundreds of club members at the local club.

“When people sponsor the club, support the club with their time, talent, treasure – whatever that looks like for them – they are making a difference in the life of a kid that’s right here in Bemidji,” said Emily Fairchild, vice president of resource development at the Boys and Girls Club of the Bemidji Area.

The effort that it takes to put on this community event is obvious.

“I can see it every day when I work at the club, Fairchild continued. “I hear it in their loud, exuberant noises and I see it in the amazingly dedicated staff that we have. The difference that it makes for those kids, the difference that it makes for our staff members, it’s evident.”

One hundred golfers participated in Monday’s tournament, many of which are familiar faces returning for another go at the two-person golf tournament championship.

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“It’s so wonderful to be able to call someone up and say, ‘Can we count you in again,’ and they’re like, ‘Of course,’” Fairchild said.

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Russ Moen welcomes golfers to the Boys and Girls Club 20th Annual Golf Championship on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, at the Bemidji Town and Country Club.
Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer

In fact, three golfers have participated since the very beginning – Bill Muller, Russ Moen and Tony Warno.

Moen has been a particularly important figure for the annual event. As the chairman of the golf committee, his relationships with the golfers who participate yearly have been essential to the longevity and success of the Golf Fore Kids Club.

The dozens of local businesses that sponsor the event are just as important as the golfers, with contributions ranging from $150 (Hole Sponsors) to $7,500 (Master Sponsor).

“Our business community is really important to us,” Kent said. “Their gift is changing the lives of young people. It’s our next generation, and it’s the only next generation we have, so we need to invest in our kids.”

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Golfers await the 1 p.m. start time of the Boys and Girls Club 20th Annual Golf Championship on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, at the Bemidji Town and Country Club.
Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer

A majority of the money raised each year comes from those local business sponsors. A few, such as Bob Lowth Ford, have supported the event for just as long as the seasoned golfers.

“We have sponsors that are right here with us and have been with us for a long time,” Fairchild said. “We’re so grateful for that.”

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Todd Lowth of Bob Lowth Ford and Moen, two stalwart supporters of the event and key pieces on the business sponsorship side of things, were highlighted at the dinner Monday evening following the tournament.

“Those two have been here every year of those 20 years,” Kent said. “Their leadership and their business sponsorship has inspired other businesses to come along.”

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The Boys and Girls Club 20th Annual Golf Championship is underway on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, at the Bemidji Town and Country Club.
Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer
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Silent auction items are on display near the clubhouse during the Boys and Girls Club 20th Annual Golf Championship on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, at the Bemidji Town and Country Club.
Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer
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Director of Golf Operations Rick Grand welcomes golfers to the Boys and Girls Club 20th Annual Golf Championship on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, at the Bemidji Town and Country Club.
Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer

Alex Faber is a sports reporter for the Bemidji Pioneer. A Michigan transplant, he graduated from Michigan State University in 2024 with a degree in journalism and minors in history and environmental studies.
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