Two unusually entertaining golf tournament fundraisers took place in May—both, of course, were at the Santa Maria Country Club.
The first was Golf for Wishes, held on May 15.
What was special about this was the zeal of its founders, Jared Bailey and Danny Sheridan. Jared is a physical therapist with the Santa Maria Physical Therapy Group, and Danny is on the staff of Orcutt schools.
Several years ago, they were two awesome dudes hanging out in a garage, wanting to make a difference when inspiration struck. After a “eureka” moment, the dynamic duo decided that they wanted to raise money for kids, very sick kids, to be precise.
“We offered to do this [tournament for Tri-Counties Make-a-Wish] on the condition that the money raised was kept local,” Jared told me.
You couldn’t miss Jared, in his colorful harlequin print golf pants and orange and white golf shoes. The golf pants were so eye-catching that John Glines, without permission from the owner, auctioned them off for $500 after a round of spirited bidding.
Also big in the visual entertainment department were James Brennan and Rob Colligan, who dressed in white hazmat suits and huge black fuzzy wigs. “We don’t do this because we want to,” one of the fuzzy-haired guys told me. “We do it because of popular demand and the expectation that we will do it.” The hazmat suits were not auctioned off.
Are these guys Saturday Night Live material or what?
One of the tournament’s first wishes was granted to Cole Rohr of Arroyo Grande in 2008. The youngster had many serious medical issues, one of which was leukemia. His pediatric oncologist at Cottage Hospital submitted his name to Make-A-Wish.
Cole’s articulate, stalwart mother, Shelli Rohr, spoke about how much the granted wish—a Disneyworld trip—meant to her family and to her sick child.
There were 148 golfers and a full house (185) for dinner.
Dinner tickets were $40 for a buffet that was just right for a slew of hungry golfers and their guests: all-you-can-eat prime rib, chicken, scalloped potatoes, mixed white and wild rice, mixed vegetables, and salad. Dessert was the country club’s highly popular make-your-own-sundae bar.
The complimentary beverages were from Cambria Estate Winery and Figueroa Mountain Brewing.
Police Council
Following almost immediately on the heels of the Golf for Wishes tournament was the annual Police Council golf tournament and dinner
fundraiser on May 18.
It was another packed house—200 for dinner.
Judy and Hardy Hearn, Dr. Rick and Ruth Ann Ontell, Dr. Dennis Shepherd, Dr. Ray and Courtney Arensdorf, and Pastor Rick Bloom were among the crowd, as was Mike McCormick, who told me that his mother will turn 100 sometime this month. Happy Birthday, Myrtle!
I spied Buck and Etta Waterfield, Terri Lee and Doug Coleman, Sheriff Bill Brown, Ralph Reed, Greg Beebe, David Baskett, and Mike and Debbie Gorbell.
Of course, Police Chief Ralph Martin was there along with City Manager Rick Haydon. I heard that for three hours Mayor Alice Patino drove a beverage cart around the golf course. You gotta love a mayor with a sense of adventure.
The entertainment—comedian Ralph Harris—was superb and as good as it gets in the funny department.
If you want to hobnob with Helen, you may contact her at helenthom232@yahoo.com.
This article appears in May 28 – Jun 4, 2015.
