Funds from outing go to local cause
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FAIRMONT-- On Thursday the first annual Women of Worth (WoW) golf outing was held at Rose Lake Golf Club in Fairmont. All of the proceeds raised will go to the Faribault County-based non-profit which supports southern Minnesota women who are survivors of domestic abuse and sexual abuse.
In the past Rose Lake Golf Club held the annual Rally for the Cure, which served as a fundraiser for Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a breast cancer organization.
Stacy McAleavy, a member of the golf club and organizer of the event, explained why they switched it up this year.
"For 14 years it's always been a Rally for the Cure, unfortunately the funds we raised for that event didn't stay local. We were looking for an organization that everything raised would stay local," McAleavy said.
She said several years ago at Blue Earth's Wine Walk, she learned of WoW. She reached to to Sonja Willmert, president of WoW, to inquire about having the organization serve as the recipient of this year's fundraiser.
"All of the funds raised from this event will stay in Southern Minnesota. That's really why we switched it up," McAleavy said.
She noted that while the money went to a good cause in the past, they like that this ensures the funds stay local. In past years the golf outing raised between $4,000 and $5,000.
On Thursday, about 100 women-- donned in purple, the color of domestic violence ribbons-- golfed in the event and in addition to that, about 20 men served as volunteers and another 15 women served as volunteers.
The money raised comes in part from registration fees, hole sponsors and raffle tickets. McAleavy said a lot of the golfers also donate money for the actual cause. She suspects that this year's event would raise as much as previous years.
Willmert said,"We were very appreciative of getting the call."
She shared that the organization began in 2004 and in 2015, it became a 501(c)(3) organization.
"It was started because there was a need for help for domestic violence in this area and there didn't seem to be any resources," Willmert explained.
She said agencies and advocates like CADA (Committee Against Domestic Abuse) and Southwest Crisis Center call them when they have clients that need funding to get out of the home or for other reasons. Often times, they'll pay to put women and their children in a hotel for a few nights, which can get rather expensive.
"If an advocate calls us, we have a limit on how much we can do for each one, but if they say they really need it, we usually give it," Willmert said.
WoW is made up of 12 committee members. The organization's funds come from its annual WoW expo and from fundraisers and donations. Willmert noted that the WoW expo will be held on Nov. 4 at Blue Earth Area High School. She said there is no admission fee but there will be a guest speaker and shopping opportunities.