Trinity Classic 2020 Raises Hopes & Funds During Pandemic
14th of October 2020
The annual Trinity Classic Golf Tournament and Fundraiser presented by HUB International Insurance looked a little different this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but that didn’t stop golfers from getting outdoors, supporting a good cause and having a great time!
Our organization is fortunate to have an annual outdoor fundraising event and to have the support of our incredible network of sponsors, golfers and business partners. Even with social distancing, we managed to have a fantastic day and raised much needed funds for children in foster care, residential treatment and mental health programs.
Golf Committee Chair, Danny Keshishian, said, “I think people are excited to just get out and do something, especially something outside and for a good cause.”
The 2020 Trinity Classic was held at Red Hill Country Club in Rancho Cucamonga on September 28. Out of an abundance of caution, we limited registration to 80 golfers, a plastic divider was placed between seats on golf carts and all activities were held outside.
Tee times were staggered, as were putting contest times and registration. This reduced clustering of people during the event for their safety. During the tournament, volunteers conducted golf challenges to raise additional funds. In total, we had 21 volunteers contributing 122 hours to the event and we are so grateful to each and every one of them!
Mountain View Chevrolet provided our hole in one car and displayed several show cars at the country club. Starbucks donated coffee for registration and Party Affair contributed balloon decorations. On the golf course were tastings from Gumbo Girls, Sazerac, J&J BBQ and Fish, Citrus Grove Distillers and cigars provided by King Smokes and Vapes.
As the tournament came to an end, the In-N-Out food truck began to serve meals to golfers. Thank you so much to the In-N-Out Foundation for donating meals for all our guests! Additionally, dessert was provided by I Like Pie Bakeshop.
After everyone had their fill of burgers and pie, Amaro Helicopters flew by with our Golf Ball Drop entries and poured our bucket of 200 golf balls over a golf hole for a lucky winner to win $10,000! Tony Chiappetta, of AMC Solutions had the honor of pulling the ball and his wife Marissa, announced the winner from the scoreboard. Their kids Roman (9) and Rocco (10) got it from point A to point B quicker than a flash of light! The lucky ball was number 144, Laura Kassem, Trinity Youth Services’ Rancho Cucamonga Foster Care Office Director. Upon winning the prize, Laura donated $1,000 back to be spent on activities for the foster children.
Following the helicopter golf ball drop, CFA staff conducted the awards ceremony to a crowd scattered on the back lawn of the country club. HUB International Insurance, AMC Solutions, Image Source, and Sysco were recognized as our generous top sponsors and the CFA team was recognized for “outstanding achievements during a pandemic,” by CEO, Cher Ofstedahl.
Next were the tournament awards with Jeff Green as our Putting Contest winner, Brandon Danley was our Closest to the Pin Champion at 14 feet, Matt Lollis was our Men’s Longest Drive Champion, and Patricia Ontiveros was our Women’s Longest Drive Champion.
Our First Place tournament winners were Stan Gonzales, Willie Buchanon, Pete Shaw, and Mike Espejo with a score of 55. Second Place went to Kevin Mink, Jordan Craft, Matthew Ringel, and Chris Starling for their score of 58. And Third Place went to Jeff Green, Andrew Landeros, Jed Leano, and Ron Pasillas coming in close with a score of 59.
After the awards were presented we raffled off a few baskets, many of which, Trinity Youth Services Board Member, Judith Jarvis, won and generously donated back to Trinity’s staff for staff recognition.
A good time was had by all, and together, we raised approximately $120,000 for foster youth! Thank you to everyone who participated in our fundraising event and truly making a difference for children in need. We know this year has been challenging for everyone, which made us all the more grateful for the incredible turnout and outpouring of support during these times—especially when the youth need our help more than ever! We are already looking forward to putting together another unforgettable day on the golf course supporting children in need in 2021. We can’t wait to see you there!
Stay tuned for our first ever, Virtual Gala and Online Auction on December 3, 2020.
Special thank you to Duane Tkatch Photography.
Jenelle Phillips, Director of Development
Jenelle oversees the day-to-day operations and staffing of the Foundation, which includes event planning, volunteer coordination, community outreach, marketing and donor relations. Above all, Jenelle’s focus is to identify and access resources in order to help children heal, learn and thrive. She earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from California State University Fullerton and is very involved in the community. She is active in her church and owns an art gallery. Her volunteer contributions to the community have been recognized by Senator Portantino, Assemblymember Holden and the Claremont Village Marketing Group.