On Tuesday I’ll be leading the way for 36 teams of golfers to tee it up for Legacy Community Health as we raise the most money ever in our 12 years of the Frank Billingsley Golf Classic! We’ll be teeing it up at the Golf Club of Houston bright and early.
Our first year, 2010, managed only 10 teams and we barely covered costs, so teeing it up with a sell-out crowd of more than three times that is heartwarming! Last year’s total raised came in right around $200,000 and we’re on track to exceed that this year!
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We got lucky the last two years -- in 2020 we moved our April tournament to October. Our breakfast and luncheon also moved outdoors and last year we had that October COVID lull (remember, right before omicron raised its nasty head). So we were able to keep on going through the pandemic.
We’ve managed to raise more than half a million dollars the past 12 years, so where does the money go? To the Legacy school-based on-campus health programs. You probably remember going to the nurse’s office as a kid -- this is much more than that in its ability to prescribe and take care of young patients. Legacy is now in more than 30 area schools (KIPP, YES prep and Galena Independent School District) and the stats speak for themselves: Last year, this program served 10,997 students with 44,626 completed appointments; 26,795 (60%) were behavioral health and 17,831 (40%) were medical visits. Roughly, 20% (2,420) of the students used 60% (25,795) of the total visits to receive behavioral health services. Thanks to this program kids don’t miss classes and their parents don’t miss work taking them to the doctor.
And, of course, the weather will be stellar just like every year we’ve been out there! A big thank-you to Shell’s Ben Dillon (now retired!) for kicking us off so many years ago and to our current sponsors Hawkins Laakso Wealth Management (especially Chris Laakso who heads up our golf committee each year!). And my thanks to all of you who’ve pitched in with contributions, volunteering, donations and playing. We’re expecting a terrific Tuesday Tee Up!
Frank