No effort is too small to make a difference, although grand gestures never hurt either. Here’s a look at two groups of McConnell Golf members leaving a mark — one that feels like a hug — on their communities.
Grin and Bear It
Once a week, a meeting room at Old North State Club gets a little stuffy: quite literally filled with piles of stuffing. Dozens of women arrive with sewing machines, scissors, and fabric to transform the room into a teddy bear factory for a few hours.
Every stuffed animal is handmade by volunteer sewers. The troupe of more than 200 plush bears is for Victory Junction, a nearby nonprofit camp founded to honor the memory of the late fourth-generation racecar driver Adam Petty. On land donated by Richard and Lynda Petty, the site hosts weeklong camps for children with serious medical conditions or chronic illnesses. The kids experience a classic spring-break or summer camp experience while also receiving the medical resources and attention they need.
A huge part of that experience is their bear. A NASCAR-themed stuffed toy greets each camper, and the bear is his or her companion throughout the week and theirs to take home and keep. It becomes a loving token of an idyllic childhood experience, crafted in an unassuming clubhouse meeting room.
Wishful Thinking
On February 20, dozens of members and their guests gathered at Sedgefield Country Club to celebrate Spencer, a spunky 5-year-old boy from High Point, North Carolina who has acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Through a partnership with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, McConnell Golf members helped grant Spencer’s wish of traveling to the Disney theme parks in Florida, a trip often too difficult and expensive for a young leukemia patient to make. In September 2014, Spencer and his parents, Wayne and Jennifer, and sister, Olivia, enjoyed a full week at Walt Disney World.
In a nod to the magical visit, the gala at Sedgefield was Legoland-themed, and Spencer, Wayne, Jennifer, and Olivia were all in attendance. Executive chefs from every McConnell property created a memorable lineup of buffet options, from chicken osso bucco and beer-smoked pork belly to surf-and-turf sliders and beef tacos.
Spencer was the inspiration for live and silent auction bidders, who raised $39,812 that night. The money raised will go to a continued partnership with Make-A-Wish. Wishes usually cost around $6,000 to grant, so many more are in store for the coming year.