On Thursday, September 4, 2014, over 200 golfers converged on the Wausau Country Club and Greenwood Hills Country Club in Wausau, WI to take part in the 10th Annual Charity Golf Outing sponsored by County Materials Corporation to raise funds for organizations supported by the Sonnentag Foundation. Despite Mother Nature’s weather challenges, participants and sponsors raised more than $108,000. Over 100 businesses and industry partners lent their support by sponsoring portions of the event and donating prizes.
As the event host, County Materials ensures that every dollar contributed to this year’s charity golf outing will go directly to fund valuable programs and services provided by the organizations that the Sonnentag Foundation helps to support.
“Since we began our charity golf outing in 2007, the Sonnentag Foundation has donated more than $361,150 to many worthwhile and valuable causes,” said Rebecca Sonnentag, County Materials’ communications and promotions director. “We are humbled and very grateful for the generosity and commitment shown by our event sponsors, participants and donors each year; it is heartwarming to know that our outing is making a lasting difference in the communities where County Materials has locations.”
A portion of the funds from the 2014 outing will be distributed to several Big Brothers Big Sisters chapters in the Midwest. Other funds will benefit Easter Seals of Wisconsin to support Camp Wawbeek and their neighboring Respite Camp in Wisconsin Dells. Additionally, because the golf outing surpassed County Materials’ fundraising goal from last year, the Sonnentag Foundation has plans to expand their support to organizations that specialize in providing shelter, intervention and counseling, children’s advocacy, and community education programs for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.
Each Big Brothers Big Sisters chapter identifies its own primary need for how it will use the funding received to help provide one-to-one mentoring relationships for youth who are paired with caring adult volunteers. The organizations’ mentoring programs result in proven and positive outcomes for youth, including avoidance of juvenile delinquency, higher incidence of high school graduation, and greater college or job readiness.
This summer, hundreds of children and adults with disabilities enjoyed the benefits of a state-of-the-art therapeutic swimming pool at Easter Seals’ Camp Wawbeek and Respite Camp. The pool was partially funded from last year’s donation from the Sonnentag Foundation and County Materials Corporation. The monetary donation allowed Easter Seals of Wisconsin to obtain 154 yards of ready mix concrete needed for the construction of a new 2,524 sq ft outdoor pool at Easter Seals’ Camp Wawbeek. Extra material was used to build the pool deck and/or surrounding structure. Camp Wawbeek provides children and adults with disabilities the opportunity to meet new friends and take on new challenges through a wide variety of recreational and social activities. The camp served 1,075 campers in 2013, including residents of every county in Wisconsin. Last year, Respite Camp provided one-on-one attention for 800 campers with extreme disabilities. In addition, Easter Seals offers two Veterans Family Camp programs to recently-returned veterans and their families.
For more information about the Sonnentag Foundation’s charitable activities, including updates on how golf outing funds are used, please visit www.sonnentagfoundation.org.
