Prevention Plus of Burlington County’s second annual Golf 4 a Cause tournament will be held on Thursday, Sept. 7, at Rancocas Golf Club.
Hosted by Prevention Plus in partnership with the nonprofit, Shouting4Shelby, the event will raise funds for substance use and misuse education, prevention, treatment and resources.
According to its website, Shouting4Shelby’s mission is to help families deal with overdose. It sponsors reflection benches in honor of loved ones lost and offers scholarships to Rancocas Valley Regional High School students pursuing a career in drug or alcohol abuse, among other programs.
Prior to Golf 4 a Cause, Shouting4Shelby and Prevention Plus will hold an Overdose Awareness Day candlelight vigil on Thursday, Aug. 31, at the Burlington County Amphitheater at 7 p.m.
“We’ve been partnering with them (Shouting4Shelby) to run the annual county candlelight vigil now for many years, and we started this golf tournament last year as a way to raise money to give them funding to help people get into treatment and to support that vigil, as well as our agency,” said Joseph Conlin, director of community relations for Prevention Plus.
That nonprofit provides professional services to prevent abuse of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs and offers education, collaboration and advocacy. Prevention Plus’s programs include Footprints for Life, Teen Mental Health First Aid, Drug Trends Presentations and Strengthening Families/Family Nights Out.
Golf 4 a Cause will begin at 9 a.m. and include breakfast at registration, a buffet lunch, door prizes and contests. Its kickoff last year was both a success and a surprise for Conlin.
“I think one thing we’ve had to do is actually turn away volunteers, because so many people support the cause of trying to help people get into treatment and our drug-prevention efforts that they want to come help in some way,” he noted. “But between the Prevention Plus staff and the Shouting4Shelby staff we actually have the tournament staffed, so that’s great.”
“I think it was a surprise as to how many golfers we had last year,” Conlin added. “We thought since we were new at this, we didn’t know how many we would have, so we were pleasantly surprised.”
Prevention Plus and Shouting4Shelby have worked together since 2018, and Conlin looks forward to seeing the partnership grow.
“ … We’ve gotten to know them so well, and they’ve gotten to know all of us so well, that it’s almost like we’re all just family at this point,” Conlin explained. “ … If you just look at some of the past (events), even the candlelight vigils, we try to show a mix of remembering those who we’ve lost, but also showing the people who maybe are using that there is hope for recovery.”
For more information on Golf 4 a Cause or to register, visit https://www.prevplus.org/golf-4-a-cause.html.
For information on Shouting4Shelby visit https://www.shouting4shelby.org/home.
