Golf day teeing off for Foodbank funds drive

A CORPORATE golf day to be held next month could raise $100,000 for Foodbank, possibly making it the richest fund raising event in Western Australia.

Companies can put together teams of three for the Charity Golf Classic, paying $1,000 per golfer to play 18 holes on the Lake Karrinyup course with either a celebrity or a PGA tour professional.

PGA players include Johnnie Walker classic runner-up Stephen Leaney, Michael Long and Wayne Smith, while celebrities such as Dennis Cometti, Luc Longley and Andrew Vlahov will be swinging clubs.

If a company cannot put together a full team of three, Ernst & Young will fill the spare space and pay the $1,000.

Besides the money raised from the teams, companies can also bid for the celebrity or PGA golfer of their choice through an online auction, raising more money for the charity.

The event came about after Australian Heritage Group director and 2002 40under40 winner Sally Capp approached Ernst & Young managing partner Michael Minosora for a donation.

Ms Capp said she had been appointed to the Foodbank fundraising committee and was approaching business people she knew on St Georges Terrace and asking each for a $10,000 donation.

The funds were to be used to build Foodbank some new premises in Welshpool.

Mr Minosora declined to put in a donation, choosing instead to put the firm’s marketing department to work on creating an ongoing event that would benefit the charity.

“We’re of the view that giving money is too easy as it doesn’t engage people in the reason for giving, particularly our staff,” he said.

“Doing it in a different way would raise the profile of Foodbank and result in them raising more money for a worthy cause.”

Ernst & Young marketing manager Brian Leedman, himself an avid golfer, came up with the idea for the golf day matched with tour professionals.

However, he did not realise how difficult it would be to convince professional golfers to give up their time for nothing.

Ms Capp solved that problem by getting Australasian PGA Tour player Wayne Smith to join the committee.

p          See Media & Marketing, page 20.