Jonathan Sparks, a Special Olympic Athletes and Morton Golf Foundation supporter, shares words of encouragement with our MGF supporters, family, and friends:
During this uncertain and frustrating time, let us remember what makes Special Olympics great is that we are a family. So let us look to each other for support! Even when things look dark, there will always be a light. Remember the Special Olympics Torch represents faith and hope! When I get frustrated or even overwhelmed, God always takes care of me or uses me to be a light for others. Let us pray for each other and our nation.
The 2019 “100 Holes of Golf” Sacramento Golf Marathon – Junior Event was held on the Bing Maloney Golf Course on November 2, 2019, and it was a tremendous fundraiser for the Morton Golf Foundation.
2019 Junior Sacramento Golf Marathon – 100 Holes of Golf
The pictures tell the true story. Over 30 juniors, family members, friends, and coaches participated in this annual event by paying it forward for the foundation. They all played “100 holes” on the E-9 at the Bing Maloney Golf Course and collected donations as they educated more people about Morton Golf Foundation. This event will continue each year because it is so powerful to see the juniors working toward their future in this wonderful game of golf.
2019 Junior Sacramento Golf Marathon – 100 Holes of Golf
100% of all donations from this event goes back to support the Junior Golf Development Grant program.
Since the very beginning of the Morton Golf Foundation in 2009, Richie Gibbs has been a Volunteer Leader. With every event and at every fundraiser, Richie is the first one to say, “What’s next?”
Richie Gibbs named 2019 Morton Golf Foundation Volunteer of the Year. Pictured left to right: Tom Morton, Richie Gibbs, Rob Siebers
For the past 7 years (since he was 9 years old) Richie has been on Hole #14 during the Morton Golf Foundation’s largest fundraiser of the year, Golf & Guitars hitting drives and raising funds for the Foundation.
Richie is one volunteer that no matter what the task he is “in” for it all.
The Morton Golf Foundation is very proud to award Richie Gibbs with the 2019 award for 2019 Volunteer of the Year award.
Continue to look for Richie around Morton Golf Foundation events. He has a lot more to give!
What happens when you mix 132 golfers with the same number of frozen Snickers bars? This combination always equals a successful equation for the Jr/Sr Funvitational.
On June 28, 2019, all participants gathered at the Haggin Oaks Golf Complex in Sacramento, CA, for a golf tournament demonstrating skill, sportsmanship and most importantly, fun times for all!
Cobra/Puma was the main sponsor of the event on this mild Friday morning which featurs junior players with their ‘senior’ partners.
Morton Golf Foundation was at the registration area early to greet everyone. As soon as the golfers drove off to start their 7:30 a.m. shotgun, the Morton Golf Foundation TEAM slipped off to decorate the “candy cart”. Each year the Morton Golf Foundation TEAM visits every golf hole to thank all the participants for coming out. The best part is that the TEAM offers each group a highly anticipated and much appreciated frozen Snickers bar. For those golfers that prefer a healthier alternative, Reese’s peanut butter cups were offered. 🙂
The Morton Golf Foundation TEAM are also some of the judges for the “Team Spirit” category. This is where each 2-person team has the opportunity to participate in dressing alike to add spirit to the event.
Before we knew it the golf round was complete and we were off to the luncheon.
The First Tee of Greater Sacramento gives out their annual college scholarships along with winning prizes for all age categories.
For next June, start thinking about who your partner will be for in your 2-person team & how you can create sportsmanship for the “Team Spirit” award.
Thanks to all the Morton Golf Foundation juniors and their families as they helped putting on this “fun” event.
The sun was shining, the 6,000 plastic eggs were laid out for the Egg Hunt & the pancakes were fluffy & tasty. Nearly 1,000 people joined in the family activity as we all waited for the count down for the Egg Hunt at 11:00 a.m. sharp. As the 6,000 plastic eggs were quickly picked up with several of them being prize eggs with special gifts to win.
Easter Bunny will be back next year to see everyone for more spring like weather & more eggs to hunt.
Happy Easter from everyone at Haggin Oaks Golf Complex.
Morton Golf Foundation and COBRA-PUMA Golf Help the Paradise Golf Team After the Camp Fire
As everyone in Northern California knows by now, the recent fire in Paradise, CA, dubbed the Camp Fire, has been a devastating one. Paradise is located about an hour north of the Haggin Oaks Golf Complex in Sacramento, and the continued reports and smoke that’s engulfed the valley are a grim reminder each day to its wrath. It has been reported that roughly 95% of the kids that go to Paradise High School have lost their homes and all their possessions. The 501 c3 Morton Golf Foundation wanted to step up and bring a sense of normalcy to some of the families that are undergoing almost unbelievable hardship. The board decided unanimously to utilize some of the 501 c3 funds raised during May’s Golf & Guitars Music Festival to have the boys’ golf team come down and be outfitted with new equipment and uniforms with Morton Golf Foundation covering the cost. When the Morton Golf Foundation reached out to the VP of Sales for COBRA-PUMA Golf, they stepped up and agreed to be our partner on this initiative – without any hesitation. Each member of the Paradise Golf Team and their families will also receive an invitation to Golf & Guitars to recognize them and give them something special up on stage during the event as well.
This video illustrates the impact of this gesture. Tom Mailey of KNCI’s morning Pat and Tom Show came over and filmed a short piece with Assistant Coach, Steve Suihkonen, and his son, Chase, from the Paradise High School. It details the Suihkonen’s personal experience and harrowing escape from the fire and has some personal photos of their loss. They were overwhelmed with the experience yesterday and reiterated over and over again how much this meant to them. Thank you to the whole board for helping make this happen. It’s appreciated!
Morton Golf Foundation is very proud to support one of our California Eagles, Jonathan Sparks (age 55), with his goal to participate in the Special Olympics Polar Plunge in February 2019.
Jonathan will be at The Habit Burger Grill, 7400 Laguna Blvd., Elk Grove, CA 95758 on December 17th from 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. to greet everyone and tell his story.
Visit The Habit Burger Grill on Monday, December 17, 2018, from 4:00 pm – 10:00 pm and The Habit Burger Grill will DONATE 20% OF SALES from this event to benefit the Special Olympics Northern California Polar Plunge. Simply print out the accompanying flyer or show offer on your smartphone to the cashier upon ordering.
The 5th Annual Sacramento Golf Marathon “100 Holes of Golf” was held on Monday, November 5th, 2019
2018 Sacramento Golf Marathon Participants
This year we had four star athletes show up at 6:00 a.m. ready and raring to go to play their “100 Holes of Golf” for charity. As Tom Morton, Mike Woods, Barbara Allario and Rob Siebers teed off at the break of dawn to play for the juniors, we had Steve Stoll and Jose Mercado as the “Wingmen” to guide them through the course.
For the past few months this group has asked their friends, families and neighbors to join in and support them as all proceeds go back to our local youth. These donations help support the families of junior golfers to improve skills, build competitive spirit, enhance core values and help build long lasting relationships.
This past year Morton Golf Foundation has helped 19 junior golfers as they earned junior grants.
These grants support a variety of efforts including upgrading equipment for progressing juniors, clothing allowances building self-esteem, tournament fees, including registration, hotel and travel fees, lessons and strength training. Grants are customized to maximize the value of the individual junior golfer.
In addition to building golf proficiency and learning life lessons through the game of golf, many of our juniors have dreams to use their golf talents to earn college scholarships.
The Morton Golf Foundation Junior Golf Development Grant is funded solely by the Sacramento Golf Marathon. Our planning stages are already gearing up for fall 2019. Continue to watch the website for updates and details.
The 3rd Annual Junior Golf Marathon was Held on November 3, 2018, on the Express 9-Hole Golf Course at Bing Maloney
The weather today under a perfectly blue sky started out cool but quickly became great golf weather near 80 degrees.
Nineteen juniors, families & friends gathered at the Express-9 golf course at Bing Maloney to play “100 Holes of Golf”. For the past two months the juniors have been gathering donations continuing to educate their donors letting them know all proceeds go directly back to junior grants.
This is one time of the year where the juniors play golf for “fun” & not for competition. The goal is to tee off & get it in the hole. There is no lost ball, no score, only “fun”. As I went around the course cheering the players on I found them playing their own fun games among their groups. The juniors had the opportunity to win golf balls & hats as they played.
The juniors, families & friends ended the event sitting around a huge table telling golf stories, giving their wish list on where to attend college & just asking “what’s the next way they can help Morton Golf Foundation?”
This generation of golfers is exactly what this sport needs. We can’t wait to fast forward 10 years to hear the success stories of our Morton Golf Foundation juniors.
The Morton Golf Foundation Putting Party might be the happiest event of the year!
The 2018 Putting Party was held on September 19 this year and featured 18 holes of putting, scramble style, with a group of friends, under the lights on the putting green at the Haggin Oaks Golf Complex. The course played challenging this year, and we even witnessed some scramble three putts (especially from my team). But in the end, the best putters of the night were TEAM BONNEVILLE who this year called themselves “Weapons of Grass Destruction” – and consisted of the players Steve Cottingim, Katy Brown Jones, Dell Goetz, Oscar Chiarella and Brandon Bettar. CONGRATULATIONS! They received the perpetual trophy which will be displayed in their offices and will be returned next year when they will try and win it all over again.
A unique feature of “The Putting Party” is that everyone can play. You do not have to be a golfer to enjoy this putting party. In fact, each year we receive feedback from some of the corporate-sponsored teams. In 2018, we heard “All year the golfers in our company get to play in the various golf tournaments, but the Morton Golf Foundation Putting Party is the event we get to enjoy each year, and we do not even play golf.” Golf continues to be a game for everyone, and we are so fortunate to be involved.
Please join in September 2019 for the 8th Annual Putting Party as the fun continues.
