ECHO will benefit from the Valspar Golf Championship for the first time this year, with some of the proceeds from the event going to the organization.
Valspar will host its annual golf tournament from Monday, March 17, through Sunday, March 23, in Palm Harbor. Volunteers who sign up to work the championship can join a team — one of which is ECHO. For every shift worked by a volunteer on ECHO’s team, ECHO will receive $60.
Steve McKinnon, ECHO’s development manager, said it was possible for ECHO to benefit from the fundraiser this year because of its new fundraiser schedule. Now, ECHO has the time to dedicate to raising awareness and gaining volunteers who can attend the tournament.
“Once you start going west into Tampa, almost nobody knows about us,” McKinnon said. “So, with this tournament being up in the north part of the county and giving people all over the greater five-county area, opportunities to volunteer for us when they register.”
On top of the donations, the tournament will have a 15 percent match made possible by Copperhead Charities. Birdies for Tampa Bay Charities is partnering with ECHO and the Valspar Championship as well.
McKinnon said his goal is the tournament helps raise $6,000 for the organization.
And volunteers do not have to be immediately associated with ECHO to join ECHO’s volunteering team, called TEAM25.
“This tournament opportunity does give us a chance to have people way outside of our geographic-limited service areas to contribute to ECHO by just volunteering at a fun golf tournament,” he said.
McKinnon said it gives ECHO supporters the opportunity to volunteer outside the Brandon area.
“They may have heard of us, but they don’t get an opportunity to come volunteer at any of our four centers that we have over here,” he said.
ECHO has two emergency centers and two thrift stores, one of each in Brandon and one of each in Riverview.
The money donated to ECHO from its volunteers’ involvement will fund ECHO’s three core goals, including helping families find stable housing and preventing homelessness for families at risk of homelessness.
McKinnon encouraged people to sign up to volunteer on ECHO’s TEAM25 as soon as possible.
To sign up to volunteer for the tournament on ECHO’s TEAM25, visit https://trusteventsolutions.com/event/140/home.
