STATE ROAD – After a year off due to COVID-19, the Pfc. Adam Marion Memorial Golf Tournament raised nearly $100,000 for the Children’s Center of Northwest North Carolina.
“We still have donations coming in,” said the center’s executive director, Robin Testerman Beeson. “It looks like the final numbers will be somewhere in the range of $90,000.”
The tournament, held at Cedarbrook Country Club, has become one of the largest fundraisers in the area since Donnie and Pam Marion started it in 2009, and it is a huge revenue stream for the local non-profit.
Beeson said the funds are earmarked for use in ensuring the center’s facilities meet the needs of those it serves. The children’s center operates two shelters for youth – in Surry and Yadkin counties – and a number of additional programs serving youth and families.
On April 28, 2008, a rocket attack claimed the life of Pfc. Adam Marion while he was deployed to Iraq with the North Carolina National Guard.
Prior to that, Adam Marion had both worked and volunteered at the center. Close friends of the Marions started the golf tournament in 2009 to honor their son’s memory and give to a cause near and dear to his heart.
“It’s humbling that the Marions have chosen this organization as a way to remember their son,” said Beeson. “His sacrifice and this community’s generosity in honoring him will never be forgotten.”
The community is what makes it all happen, Beeson said. From corporate donors who give thousands of dollars to every golfer who tees off and every volunteer who helps make it all happen, each has a role in the event’s success.
The golf course was abuzz during the event, which included both morning and afternoon sessions of golf and a lunch. As in the past, there was a program honoring Marion’s sacrifice.
In all, more than 240 golfers, in teams of four, took part in the event on April 29, and dozens of volunteers helped make the tournament possible.
Additionally, many local businesses sponsor the event, forking out up to $5,000 to support the center. The donations come at a much needed time for the center.
“Last year’s tournament and our annual Heart of a Child ball were cancelled due to COVID,” Beeson said. “The golf tournament is our largest fundraiser each year, and the funds are crucial to our operations.”
Pam Marion said husband Donnie and the event’s other organizers were pleased with the turn-out for the tournament after last year’s cancellation, adding a special thanks to all of those who sponsored the event.
Beeson said she didn’t know what to expect given the uncertain times.
“Once again the Marion family, the golf committee and the community have stepped up to the plate to support this organization and the youth and families we serve,” noted Beeson.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com