The Shamong Foundation for Educational Excellence will hold its fourth golf outing at the Medford Village Country Club on May 9 to benefit Shamong schools.
Event proceeds fund grant requests for the school district. The foundation was established in 2022 by a group of community members and business leaders whose mission was to raise money for educational activities outside of school budgets.
Board trustee member Penny Dwyer and her husband Mike, who have long served the foundation, raised their three children in the Shamong district.
“We feel very strongly about the importance of public education in our community,” Penny said. “And even though all three of our children are in college or above, we still are members of the community.”
The golf outing has been a successful fundraiser since 2018. Mike Dwyer’s business, Association Headquarters, and Murphy’s Fresh Market are both premium sponsors of the event, whose host, the Medford Village Country Club, is a silver sponsor.
Since the golf day takes place in the spring, funds raised through small classroom grants will go to the schools this fall to pay for major projects and allow faculty members access to innovative classroom projects.
“The bulk of the funds that we raise come from the event.” Mike Dwyer said
The event is organized by foundation volunteers, most of whom are parents whose children attended district schools. Ex-officio trustees of the foundation include board of education President Melissa Ciliberti, Superintendent Christine Vespe and Indian Mills Memorial Middle School Principal Tim Carroll.
The golf outing will start with registration and lunch for residents at 10:30 a.m., followed by a shotgun start at noon. There will be a cocktail reception at 5:30 p.m. and a buffet dinner at 6, with awards and an auction at 6:45. Prizes will be awarded for longest drive and closest to the pin, a putting contest and a 50/50 raffle. Donated gift baskets will go to first, second and third-place winners.
The foundation will also hold a back-to-school fundraiser in the fall. For more information, visit shamongfoundation.org