By Adrienne Leon
From left to right: BGCMA Alumni Twilla Walton, Perjah Roberts and Brian Ariza.
Nearly 400 guests came out to enjoy an afternoon of networking and friendly competition at Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta’s first-ever Topgolf Fundraiser: Driving Great Futures – the organization’s newest signature fundraiser to benefit its teen workforce development programs.
The event, held at Midtown Atlanta’s Topgolf on July 15, brought together an array of supporters including corporate professionals, donors, and Club alumni for an afternoon of golf tournament-style play, a silent auction, and raffles. Through the help of generous donations, BGCMA raised more than $175,000, an investment into the Great Futures of hundreds of kids in the metro Atlanta community.
Funding will benefit BGCMA’s workforce readiness programs, which provide opportunities for kids to have free access to ACT/SAT preparation, workshops on resume-building and interviewing, and experiences like career exploration tours, college and technical school visits, and paid summer work experiences.
Longtime BGCMA advocate Rich Alvarez, a former board member for DeKalb County Clubs, was thrilled to join the Top Golf event, seeing it as an opportunity to rally the community’s support and celebrate teens “as they go on to their next adventure” after high school.
“Our teen readiness programs are an important key to kids’ success,” said Alvarez. “They get Club members ready to be the next entrepreneur, the next engineer, the next president. I encourage the community to support us as we support them.”
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Kimberly Heard, 2020 alumni of Rockdale County’s A.R. Gus Barksdale Club, echoed his sentiments, saying the Top Golf fundraiser was an opportunity to “pay it forward” by encouraging kids who were once in her shoes. Kimberly also felt her coming to Top Golf was a nod to the many people who supported her journey.
The Oglethorpe University sophomore is double majoring in physics and engineering with plans on becoming an engineer for NASA one day. She said her Club family and community supporters are part of the village that inspired her to work toward her dream of attending college and pursue her career goal.
“It’s so nostalgic seeing my old Club mentors, staff, and fellow alumni. I’m thinking about how they helped me over the years and how far I’ve come because of their support. It’s really overwhelming,” said Heard. “Knowing that these were the people that were there then, and now we get to prosper together and grow together, it’s just amazing.”
Jasmin Moffett, proud alumni of the Lawrenceville Club, said she, too, hopes to make a positive impact on young lives. The first-grade teacher and 2020 Summa Cum Laude graduate of Kennesaw State University will begin her graduate studies in education this fall at the University of California, Riverside. Jasmin said her journey started with her Club.
“My Club offered positive relationships and opportunities that helped shape me into the person I am today. Exposure to college tours was one of the most impactful experiences for me. Getting an authentic feel for campus life and the preparation I needed to get there impacted my life.”
Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta thanks the many people who have supported its commitment to unlocking the unlimited potential of kids and teens in the community.
The 2021 Topgolf Fundraiser: Driving Great Futures would not have been successful without the generous support of individual and corporate sponsors. Thank you, sponsors!
Special thanks to Green’s Beverages for sponsoring the Topgolf Key Raffle. Lastly, congratulations to Cadence Bank – winner of BGCMA’s inaugural Topgolf event!
To learn more on how you can support Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta workforce development programs, visit www.bgcma.org/careerbound.