An Idea We All Should Support

by Joe Barks (editor@clubandresortbusiness.com)
July 2007
 

Tom Duetsch had a charity golf outing added to his club’s event calendar pretty late in the game this year—not until the end of April, in fact. And because it was scheduled so late, about the only available time to hold the outing was July 3rd and 4th.

As General Manager, those dates weren’t his first choice, Duetsch admits; they were already two of the busiest days of the year at his club. But that was the time the Board and other club members felt would be best. So Duetsch and his staff worked hard to give the outing all the support they could in the time that they had.

The short timeframe added to the usual challenges involved with lining up sponsors, promoting participation, organizing the days’ activities, and taking care of all of the many other details that go into doing a charity event right. But when the tournament and related auction were held earlier this month, everyone at the club felt it all came off pretty well for a first effort, and no one was about to complain about the dates or work involved.

Duetsch’s club, you see, is Blacksburg Country Club, as in Blacksburg, Va., home of Virginia Tech University. The event couldn’t be scheduled until the end of April, because up until April 16—the day of the mass killings on the Virginia Tech campus—no one ever imagined there would be the need for a charity event to help raise funds for a Blacksburg community that would now have to cope with the emotional trauma from such an unspeakable tragedy.

Once they, like everyone else in the area, began to recover from the shock of that horrible day, the staff and members of Blacksburg CC knew they had to take advantage of their ability to help. Being in the club business, Duetsch felt a special obligation to do something, because Virginia Tech has sent many professionals into the business through its well-respected turf care program, and now also has a burgeoning hospitality program.

Even with just two months to pull together the first “Blacksburg Gives Back” charity golf tournament and auction, Duetsch was gratified by how his fellow club managers in Virginia and throughout the country, as well as many industry suppliers, rallied to support the cause by donating prizes, taking sponsorships, or coordinating their own events with his. He now plans to make this an annual effort, noting that experts say the real impact on the community, and the need for mental health and counseling services, will only increase over time.

(To inquire about contributions to the United in Caring Fund, or how your efforts to support Virginia Tech and Blacksburg can be coordinated with those held by Blacksburg CC and other area clubs, go to www.blacksburggivesback.com, or contact Tom Duetsch, CCM, General Manager, Blacksburg Country Club, 1064 Clubhouse Rd., Blacksburg, Va. 24060, 540-552-9165, gm@blacksburgcc.com )