Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office holds Children’s Charity Golf Classic
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WAKA) – The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office is doing its part to help children statewide by hosting its annual Children’s Charity Golf Classic.
It’s been a tradition for more than 20 years. This year, there were so many teams playing at the Arrowhead Country Club that more golf carts had to be brought in.
Yesterday’s tournament raised money for the Alabama Sheriff’s Youth Ranches, which provide stable homes for at-risk children. The four ranches have 75 children, who range in age from 6-18 and come from troubled home environments.
“We have people from all over the state here playing today because they want to have an impact on our young people’s lives,” Montgomery County Sheriff Derrick Cunningham told Action 8 News. “If it doesn’t tear you up, if it doesn’t make you feel some kind of way inside to know that these people drove from all over the state to come and play in this tournament to pour back into our youth ranches to provide for a future for our kids, I’m speechless.”
“The sheriff is responsible for raising a lot of funds for us,” Alabama Sheriff’s Youth Ranches CEO Michael Smith said. “We do get money from the state and it’s awesome, but to provide the kids with the things that they need, we need more than that. We’re 92% charity; all but 8 cents of a dollar goes directly to the kids. Our kids are able to drive, able to play sports, as long as they give 100%. Kind of like the rules that I had to follow. If I wanted to give something a 100%, my family supported me and that’s what this is all about. We are their family. We love our young people and they love us.”
In 1966, the ranches began when two boys moved into the first ranch home, which was in Dallas County. Today, there are four ranches: boys ranches in Baldwin and St. Clair counties, and girls ranches in Colbert and Tallapoosa counties.
