Staff Report

Winners of the first annual EconAlliance Cross-Industry Challenge Golf Tournament were announced Aug. 23 at an awards reception after a full-day of friendly cross-industry foursome competition at the Santa Maria Country Club. 

An event benefiting EconAlliance’s science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and workforce development programs, the tournament featured 19 foursomes across eight industries. Shred2You was the tournament event sponsor, with Allan Hancock College, the Santa Ynez Chumash tribe, and Southern California Gas as other key sponsors. 

The inaugural event featured two tournament-winning teams, with bragging rights secured by team names to be placed on the EconAlliance Cross-Industry perpetual plaque. Pacific Premier Bank (Brooks Wise, Alan Brand, Jeremy Moreno and Hank Opalinski) took Low Gross honors, with Visit Santa Ynez Valley (Shelby Sim, Michael Brugelli, Dieter Kronje, and Buddi Kazali) taking the Low Net overall award. Each member of the winning foursomes received two bottles of local wine and four EconAlliance-etched glasses.

In addition to tournament overall winners, EconAlliance recognized one winning team from each participating industry. Industry foursomes recognized included:

• Agriculture — Beachside Produce (John Jackson, Ryan Arensdorf, Glenn Davis)
• Development/Construction/Real Estate — Urban Planning Concepts (Laurie, Jeff, Jason Tamura, Brian Deile)
• Energy — Exxon/Plains (Steve Greig, Bryan Anderson, Chris Collier, Greg Wallis)
• Finance — The Hunstad Group (Michael Hunstad, Jeff Hood, Ryan Monie, Jeff Meyers)
• Manufacturing — Safran Cabin (Sakonh Souphantharong, Neptali Salinas, John Simko, Michael Smith)
• Retail — Fun w/Bill Brown-Duplicated Business Solutions (Bill Brown, Ty Ford, Steven Funkhouser, Jason Harris)
• Space — (Vandenberg players Julio Cano, Frank Fisher, Matt Sobczak, Anthony Vicich)
• Wine/Tourism — Chumash (Mike Stoker, Rhett Delozier, Rob Roy, Chris Wiesen)

A 501c3 nonprofit organization, EconAlliance drives positive impact through strategic initiatives, unique partnerships and creative programs. The organization champions Northern Santa Barbara County communities and the key industry sectors that fuel these communities and inspire regional economic vitality.

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To raise money to support its after-school programs, United Boys and Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara County (UBGC) will host its fourth annual golf tournament on Sept. 16 at La Cumbre Country Club. 

The tournament has grown each year with more perks for the participants. The Travis Mathew Van will be back, with each player receiving a $100 gift certificate to shop for new golf gear.

Some of Santa Barbara’s favorite breweries will be serving samples around the course, and there will be food stations and hosted beverage carts as well. Eloy Ortega and Melissa Gough will serve as co-chairs of the event for the fourth year.

The event starts with registration at 10 a.m. and then an 11 a.m. putting contest, practice and lunch. The tournament is a shotgun start at noon, followed by an awards ceremony and dinner buffet at 5 p.m.

Foursome price is $1,500 and individual players are $400. Register at http://ubgcgolf.org. There are still opportunities to be a sponsor, ranging from Tee Sign for $250 to Golf Shirt Sponsor for $5,000.

UBGC is a nonprofit youth development agency that serves children in grades K-12 from 10 locations across Santa Barbara County. It is a member of the national organization, Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

For more information, call CEO Michael Baker at 805-681-1315.

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Families of children with cancer will be at the Golfing for Little Heroes Tournament & Auction Aug. 23 at the Santa Maria Country Club. The event will benefit Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation (TBCF), with a portion of proceeds going to Children’s Miracle Network at Cottage Children’s Medical Center.

Laura and Ronnie DeBrum, whose daughter Faith received TBCF services, are hosting the special event. Registration begins at 10 a.m. Friday, August 23, with all teams teeing off from different holes at 11:30 a.m. An awards ceremony will be held at 4:30 p.m., and the day will conclude with a dinner and silent auction at 5:30 p.m.

Faith was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2015 at age 11. While Faith was undergoing chemotherapy, TBCF sent her to the NBC television series “The Voice,” where she got to meet the show’s judges. The surprise trip came after TBCF learned that watching the show with her mother helped her forget about her cancer, if only for a moment.

 “Going to The Voice was such a surreal moment, one I am forever thankful for,” said Faith. “Meeting the judges was such a blessing. It got me through my chemotherapy.”

Later that same year, doctors told the DeBrums that Faith was cancer free. She is now a healthy teenager and has become an advocate for children battling cancer.

Tickets are $175 per player/$700 team (includes dinner ticket) or $50 for dinner (non-golfers).  

For tickets and sponsorship information, contact Ronnie DeBrum at mknbirdie@comcast.net.

To learn more about Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation and how you can support families that have a child with cancer living in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura County, please contact their office at 805-962-7466 or info@teddybearcancerfoundation.org. The non-profit organization’s mission is to advocate for families that have a child with cancer by providing financial, educational, and emotional support. Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation projects they will help 190 families in 2019 and relies on the support of the generous community through financial donations and volunteer support and encourages you to contact them today!

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The sixth annual golf tournament for the Valley Youth Coalition program of People Helping People on Sept. 21 provided fun for golfers while raising money to meet the event’s goal, according to coalition director Mary Conway.

The Youth Coalition’s programs are designed to help youth grow up healthy and free from alcohol and other drug abuse.

Tournament contest winners were Frank Soos for putting; Ray Lopez for chipping; Mike Morgan for the longest drive; and Rick Joyner and Kyle Erickson for closest to the pin.

The first-place team was Brian Libera and Team Rabobank. Bob Miller and Team New Era Pest Control took second place, and Steve Hartstein and Team Assassins placed third.

Vreeland Ford and Rio Vista Chevrolet each sponsored a hole-in-one car give-a-way, and the gold corporate sponsors were Marborg Industries and the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians.

Proceeds from a taco stand operated by the Marriott hotel in Buellton and beer sold by Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company were donated to the cause.

Dinner and raffles closed the day at the Alisal River Course.

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Golfers are invited to sign up for the fourth annual benefit golf tournament for the Buellton Senior Center’s “Meals on Wheels” program at the Zaca Creek Golf Course in Buellton on April 28.

The Buellton Senior Center prepares and delivers more than 100 meals each day to needy seniors in the greater Buellton area. The majority of these meals are donated by the center to the lower-income seniors who are unable to afford or prepare meals for themselves.

This golf tournament helps raise needed funds to keep the “Meals on Wheels” program afloat, organizers said.

The tournament begins at 9 a.m. with check-in at 8 a.m. and an entry fee of $50. Tee sponsorships are available for $100.

The event is an 18-hole scramble format that will be followed by a barbecue hosted by the Santa Ynez Elks. Four hole-in-one prizes are being sponsored by Rio Vista Chevrolet. There will also be raffle prizes and a silent auction.

Golfers may sign up as a foursome or as individuals; players of all levels are welcome.

To sign up or get more information, call Denny Strong at 805-451-1974 or call the Zaca Creek Golf Course at 805-691-9272.

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The five beneficiaries of this year’s two-day golf tournament, which will be held Aug. 23-24 at Alisal River Course, are Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum, Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum, and Wildling Museum of Art and Nature.

“These museums are great sources of knowledge and history, and they provide quality educational programming for children throughout Santa Barbara County,” said Kenneth Kahn, Tribal Chairman for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. “We’re in the process of planning our Chumash Museum, so we’re familiar with the resources it takes to create and maintain a high-level experience for museum guests. With that in mind, we’ve decided to make these five museums the beneficiaries of our annual charity event.”

The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (2559 Puesta Del Sol, Santa Barbara), which aims to inspire a thirst for discovery and a passion for the natural world, will use the funds raised from the Chumash Charity Golf Classic to support its educational programs for children. Luke J. Swetland, the museum’s president and CEO, said the programs offer a wide variety of ways to reconnect children with nature and learn more about the wonders of the world that surrounds us.

“We are exceedingly grateful for the support that the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians has offered us through the years,” Swetland said. “And we are very thankful to have the tribe as a partner in our efforts to educate and inspire the people of Santa Barbara County and beyond.”

The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (113 Harbor Way, Suite 190,
Santa Barbara) strives to inspire and educate the young people who will inherit the care of the Santa Barbara coastline.

Funds received from the Chumash Charity Golf Classic will support the museum’s youth education programs, which serve up to 8,000 youth annually. One such offering is the Spirit of Dana Point Tall Ship Overnight Education Program, which gives fourth-graders studying California history the unique opportunity to live like a 1830s sailor for one night.

The Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum (705 S McClelland St., Santa Maria), aims to foster family and youth-inspired learning by creating experiences to “explore ourselves, our valley, our world and beyond.” In its 21st year, it currently serves more than 32,000 children and their families.

Proceeds from the tournament will help support the museum’s weekly education programs, such as Tuesday Tales, Preschool Patrol, Passport Thursday, Fit Friday, Science Saturday and Super Sunday.

The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature (1511-B Mission Drive, Solvang) uses art as a tool to inspire the community and visitors to enjoy, value and conserve wildlife and natural areas. The programs it offers help visitors understand the environment care for nature’s dwindling wilderness areas.

Wildling, which recently relocated from a site in Los Olivos, will put funds raised by the Chumash Charity Golf Classic toward its ongoing campaign to purchase the museum’s current space on the corner of Mission Drive and Fifth Street.

The Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum (3596 Sagunto St., Santa Ynez), which was originally organized in 1961, celebrates the rich history of the Santa Ynez Valley, its pioneering settlers and the five early townships that formed the foundation of the region.

The museum is committed to creating a better future for the Santa Ynez Valley by inspiring generations to find wonder and meaning in the past. Proceeds from the golf tournament will be used for conserving, preserving and exhibiting of the museum’s collection.

Since its inaugural event in 2005, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians’ annual golf tournament has raised more than $1 million for local charities and nonprofits. Past beneficiaries include the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation, Dream Foundation, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Santa Barbara County, Lompoc Family YMCA, Unity Shoppe, Friends of the Library of Santa Ynez Valley and Buellton Senior Center, among others.

The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians has donated more than $20 million to hundreds of groups, organizations and schools in the community and across the nation as part of the tribe’s long-standing tradition of giving. To find out more about the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation and its giving programs, visitwww.santaynezchumash.org.

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