Jan. 5, 2005 – Catholic Charities of Lompoc and La Purisima Church are hosting their annual charity golf tournament at the Village Country Club on Monday, Jan. 31. Proceeds from the tournament will be directed toward Catholic Charities of Lompoc and La Purisima Church's feeding of the poor.

Catholic Charities of Lompoc provides a comprehensive range of social services to approximately 550 needy Lompoc Valley families each month. Assistance comes in the form of help to pay overdue utility bills, avoid eviction and case management, to filling empty kitchen shelves with food. Anyone who qualifies is eligible to apply for services, regardless of religious belief. All money that is raised in Lompoc, stays in Lompoc.

La Purisima's feeding of the poor program has become a lifeline for many Lompoc residents in need of a hot meal on Friday evenings and lunch for Saturday. Part of the Lompoc Valley Community Kitchen, a network of local churches that began in 1993, is designed to feed the poor and those with a difficult time making ends meet. It provides nourishing food and good fellowship to many people who are living on the fringe, including a number of youngsters and families with young children.

The golf tournament is an 18-hole shotgun start, with registration beginning promptly at 10 a.m. The donation for this event is $115, which includes green fees, a cart, lunch, buffet dinner, and an array of door prizes.

There are many sponsorship levels available, along with door prizes, raffles and even a new car to give away. Of course, the new car (a 2005 Honda Accord EX donated by Lompoc Honda) requires a hole-in-one on a par three hole - but for all of you "Tiger Woods" out there, it is certainly up for grabs.

The Mission Classic Golf tournament has become so popular that the last two years we have had 144 golfers participate (maximum amount of golfers) and many local businesses have become sponsors. Our current major sponsors include: Major Event Sponsor: Leonard Pickett Inc.; Benefactor Sponsor: Santa Fe Mortgage; Benefactor Sponsor: Mid-State Bank & Trust; Putting Contest Sponsor: Union Bank of California; Media Sponsor: The Lompoc Record; Hole-In-One-Sponsor: Lompoc Honda; and Photography Sponsor: Images by Michael.

If you would like to assist us with raising funds for this annual charitable event, here are some ways.

First, if you own a business, you could become a Tee Sponsor. The cost for a Tee Sponsorship is $100 and your place of business will be advertised in a prominent position at one the holes.

Second, you could donate an item for our live or silent auction. Some ideas of items you could donate are as follows: Motel room or condo accommodations at any nice resort (local or not), gift certificates to any fine restaurants (local or not), certificates for green fees for golfing at any course, sports memorabilia, any electronic items, wood to burn in a fireplace, construction items (tub, doors, lighting, mirrored closet doors, etc.), paintings from local artists, any theme park tickets or packages, or any other item you can think of that can be auctioned.

In the past, we have used individual items listed above to put together popular golf packages. These golf packages included a round of golf, dinner accommodations, and an evening stay at a motel. If you could provide any one of these items, we can put the package together with other items donated.

Third, we have had local contractors offer a determined number of hours for their services. This could be electrical work, plumbing, painting, landscaping, etc.

Last but not least, we have had some businesses offer some of their products at cost or a much lower price than we were able to auction for a profit. In any case, anything you may have that we could offer at our 6th annual Mission Classic Golf Tournament auction would be appreciated. One hundred percent of the items donated are tax deductible as both Catholic Charities and La Purisima Church are designated as 501c3 nonprofit organizations.

If you would like to support this much needed local event, and would like to either be a Tee sponsor, donate a auction item, play an enjoyable round of golf, or volunteer some of your valuable time to benefit the poor and disadvantaged of our local community, please contact Frank Hain at 735-3068, Ext. 14.