The 10th annual Ozzie & Friends Gala and Pro-Am featured Gateway PGA REACH President Ozzie Smith and his special guests Grammy nominted musician Jeffrey Osborne and “Mr. 58” Jim Furyk along with magician Matt Furman, local saxophonist Tim Cunningham and emcee Tom Ackerman from KMOX Radio as we celebrated 10 years of works in the St. Louis region & community. Each year, the Ozzie & Friends Gala & Pro-Am is the largest fundraiser conducted by the Gateway PGA REACH Foundation.On Sunday, September 22nd, we hosted our the Gala at The Ritz-Carlton St. Louis. The Gala features a unique chance for all of our supporters to celebrate the amazing works of our Foundation in the three pillars in which we serve. For the 10th Annual Gala we welcomed 317 people attendees, 61 more than 2018. Sponsorship dollars increased and total donations the night of the gala were up 17 percent. We honored PGA HOPE Veteran Bill Weigand with the Veteran of the Year Award for his works with our local PGA HOPE programs. We also awarded Cece Strand with the “Leadership Impact Award.” Cece has served 10 years on the Gateway PGA REACH Board of Directors and is currently Treasurer for the Gateway PGA REACH Foundation. Cece previously served as Chairperson during the 2018 PGA Championship. She became involved through the Clarence Voigt Memorial Scholarship that was established in her dad’s memory. Her father was a life member of the PGA and loved teaching junior golfers. The evening also featured a one-of-a-kind live & silent auction with proceeds benefiting the Foundation. We book-ended the evening with a few songs from Mr. Osborne. On Sunday, September 23rd, the Ozzie & Friends Pro Am was hosted by Meadowbrook Country Club as we welcomed 30 teams and 152 golfers, all supporting the Gateway PGA REACH Foundation.
Stay tuned for dates, locations and guests for the 11th Annual Ozzie & Friends Gala & Pro-Am.