Scorecards with low numbers and a check with a huge one are the goals of a fundraising golf tournament being held Friday, May 25 at Berrien Hills Golf Club, located in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Golfers from throughout the Michiana area are playing May 25 to benefit Harbor Habitat for Humanity.
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By the end of the day, tournament participants and corporate sponsors are expected to have raised more than $100,000 for the Benton Harbor-based organization. "The Whirlpool Employee's Memorial Weekend Golf Outing is just another way our employees are able to support the work of Habitat for Humanity in our community," said tournament founder and Royalton Township resident Ray Brahams.
More than 140 golfers -- the majority of them Whirlpool employees -- are participating in the best ball scramble tournament.
A highlight of the day is the support and involvement of a Lady Professional Golf Association (LPGA) player, Connie Ross. Connie is here to support Whirlpool Corporation's involvement with Habitat and to help give a few pointers to the many who need it. Besides the competition on the links, a chance to win a 2007 GMC Envoy is available for the first hole-in-one on the par three #14. As with years past, many area companies and sponsors are contributing prizes and donations to support the event and the cause.
"This is the seventh year that Harbor for Habitat for Humanity has benefited from the annual Memorial Weekend golf fundraiser," said Brahams. Brahams, an Account Executive at Whirlpool Corporation, conceived of the event as "a way to improve the lives of people in our own backyard, while having a little fun along the way.
"This is the 14th year for our Memorial weekend golf outing," Brahams added. "With each passing year, we've tried to make it a little bigger than the year before, and turn the dollars we raise toward worthy local causes. It makes me very proud of our community when so many people show that they care about enriching it."
In selecting a charitable partner, Brahams' key requirement was that the dollars raised from the tournament remain in the local community.
Harbor Habitat for Humanity of Benton Harbor -- founded in 1995 -- is affiliated with Habitat for Humanity International, and is a grass-roots, non- profit, Christian housing organization whose goal is to eliminate poverty housing and improve the quality of life for economically challenged families living in the Benton Harbor area. In obtaining its first building permit in 1996, Harbor Habitat was the first privately financed, non-governmental construction of a new single family dwelling in the City of Benton Harbor in over 20 years. Since then, Harbor Habitat has built 33 homes in partnership.
About Whirlpool Corporation
Whirlpool Corporation is the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual sales of approximately $18 billion, more than 73,000 employees, and more than 70 manufacturing and technology research centers around the world. The company markets Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, Amana, Brastemp, Bauknecht and other major brand names to consumers in nearly every country around the world. Additional information about the company can be found at http://www.whirlpoolcorp.com/.
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SOURCE: Whirlpool Corporation
CONTACT: Ray Brahams of Whirlpool Corporation, +1-269-923-2581
Web site: http://www.whirlpoolcorp.com/