As part of their national philanthropy, the brothers of Phi Delta Theta spent Monday at Prestonwood Country Club for the Lee Fowler Charity Golf Classic to raise money for the ALS Association.
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a motor neuron disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and in the spinal cord, according to the Association’s Web site.
All the money from the Golf Classic goes to the local ALS Association chapter.
This is the fifth annual tournament that Phi Delta Theta has helped to conduct.
According to Phil Lacey, a member of the fraternity and a senior in accounting, the fraternity members helped in planning and facilitating things during the tournament.
“We help to measure for prizes and make sure everyone has what they need,” Lacey said.
Fowler, the University’s director of athletics, hosts the event and helps to attract people such as basketball coach Sidney Lowe and his coaching staff and football coach Tom O’Brien.
“The event always has a lot of alumni or people involved in the athletic department,” Lacey said. “People that have ties to the ALS Foundation come out, as well as people like Lowe, [assistant basketball coach Monte] Towe and Tom O’Brien.”
According to Zach Daniel, a sophomore in accounting and the leader of the event for the fraternity, the event raised $20,000 last year.
“We’ll know about a week or so after the event how much we actually raised this year,” he said. “Players can still donate during the tournament and buy mulligans.”
Work for the event starts four to five months before the tournament, Daniel said. The fraternity members are responsible for contacting businesses, restaurants and any other corporate sponsors for the event.
Lou Gehrig was a Phi Delt, hence the reason the ALS Association is the fraternity’s national philanthropy.
“Lee and Carrol Fowler have been organizing and supporting this event for a long time, but it continues to grow because the Phi Delts have been so instrumental,” Megan Gardner, executive director of the ALS Association, said. “They’ve really been passionate about helping us.”
According to Gardner, the local chapter of the ALS Association supports patient programs and support groups across the state. The Association also provides medical equipment and counseling for those suffering from the disease.
“We’re always looking to find a cure through research,” Gardner said.
The event also served as a time the football and basketball programs’ coaches could spend time with the alumni that help support the University.
O’Brien and Lowe and Lowe’s coaching staff greeted and joked with those in attendance, including the fraternity members themselves.
The event was a tournament-style match with prizes available for other accomplishments as well, such as closest-to-the-pin and a hole-in-one.
This year’s event was colder than in year’s past, according to Lacey, but the golfers turned out nonetheless.
“It’s always the Monday after the Master’s, and it’s usually a lot warmer,” Lacey said. “I’ve always worn shorts in years past.”
