OMAHA MEMBERS HOST ANNUAL EVENT SUPPORTING FOUNDATION
October 20, 2021 —
In 2012, members Ed Willis and Kevin Murphy launched an idea for an annual group to compete in the name of charity.
They pooled together over a dozen golfers they knew from Omaha companies like Union Pacific, Fraser Stryker, Baird Holm LLP, among others.
They developed a three-day format for play, launched a way for donations to be funneled into The Prairie Club’s foundation, purchased an 18-inch tall trophy, and even created fun, commemorative awards for participants each year.
Creative all around, except for perhaps the name.
“We know it’s not the most creative name ever,” laughed Murphy. “In fact, look at the plaque on the trophy to make sure you get it right!”
“The Prairie Club Charity Team Challenge,” as it’s known, has become one of the traditions we’ve grown to love and mark our calendars for each and every year at The Prairie Club (which is typically around Labor Day every September).
The challenge is a group event that ranges between 12 and 16 players each year. They play three days of competitive matches. Every player puts $250 into the weekend’s pot and the winning team for the weekend gets credit for a donation, where all of the dollars are given to the club’s foundation.
“We’re also not great at taking pictures while we play,” said Ed, who was a founding member of The Prairie Club. “Next year, we’ll take more pictures!”
Since the event’s inauguration, they’ve been able to collect contributions of over $20,000.
Annual contributions have created a shared passion for the scholarship among the group of members, which goes towards helping empower the youth of Cherry County to pursue their educational dreams.
“Actually, the most impactful part of the weekend comes when we have the scholarship recipients come and speak to the group about their plans,” explained Willis.
“It allows all of us to see exactly how our dollars, and this tradition, is impacting lives and where our money is going every year. It’s pretty cool.”
Last year, our 2021 recipient Kitra Cody was able to Zoom in and share a few words of appreciation to the group while they dined in the Eagle’s Nest.
“She was just awesome,” remarked Willis. “That young lady is going places. She gives me a ton of confidence in the next generation!”
That said, we’re going to tell the story in more detail in coming years, as we gather photos of the group participating.
Our reason for sharing this year is two-fold:
- We know there are quite a few members who host events like this. If you’d be comfortable having your group’s story shared, please send a note to Mandi (Mandi@ThePrairieClub.com) We’d love to incorporate it.
- We want to use this as a way to inspire you all to get involved with our foundation before year’s end. This is a great year-end charity opportunity to consider.
Thank you Ed and Kevin for your shared passion for The Prairie Club and desire to make an impact on this community.
We’re already looking forward to next year!