The MITER Foundation, the charitable arm of MITER Brands, hosted its annual two-part golf outing in late September and early October. Held in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and Prescott, Arizona, respectively, the two events raised a record $4-plus million combined for charities that include Children's Flight of Hope.
About the golf outings
The 25th annual golf outing began in Hershey at the Hershey Lodge on Sept. 26, where the MITER Foundation held a dinner and charitable auction with MITER Brands' suppliers. In addition to presentations by MITER Brands CEO Matt DeSoto and MITER Foundation Specialist Gwen Mallon, the evening featured speeches from a few of the MITER Foundation's beneficiaries, including Pat Nelli, president and CEO, Children's Flight of Hope, a North Carolina-based nonprofit that coordinates free flights for children who need specialized medical care.
"I am blown away by this event," says Nelli. "Thank you for inviting Children's Flight of Hope to be part of your philanthropic community. I can't think of a greater purpose than taking care of our children."
"People want to be associated with a company that gives back," MITER Brands founder Pete DeSoto says in a video clip played during the event. "It's important to our team members, it's important to our customers and it's important to our suppliers."
After the golf outing with its suppliers, MITER Brands team members returned to the Hershey Lodge on Sept. 27, for another dinner and auction, this time with customers. That group then golfed at the Hershey Country Club. Between the two contingents, the MITER Foundation hosted nearly 500 guests in Hershey.
"Our golf outings are the largest fundraisers for the MITER Foundation," says Anthony Kassab, executive chair, MITER Foundation. "But it isn't just about how much we raise. It's also about the correlation between the funds raised and the support we provide various people and organizations who are in need."
The West Coast portion of the golf outing, now in its third year, took place Oct. 2-3 in Prescott, Arizona. The dinner and auction were held at the Sam Hill Warehouse, where approximately 160 guests, most of them customers or suppliers, heard testimonials from MITER Foundation recipients. Debbie Stantus, director, Phoenix Children's Hospital Foundation, was one of the speakers.
"I've had the honor of working with the MITER team for the duration of our partnership the past five years," Stantus says. "It is about much more than just your generous support. The MITER team has volunteered countless hours over the past five years."
