Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Volunteers Donate Grand Piano to Arts Center

The Friends of the Leland Cultural Arts Center (FLCAC) donated a grand piano to Leland Cultural Arts Center at a dedication ceremony and concert Thursday evening, May 11.  
 
FLCAC Board Members around the piano
Luvette Hickey, Vice President Lynn Shineman, Cindy Kersey, President Pat Goodman, Karen Chevrotee and Steve Lowry.

FLCAC President Pat Goodman presented the keys to the piano to Arts Center Manager Julianne Scott, after which two pianists played a brief program to demonstrate the versatility of the instrument.

LCAC Manager Julianne Scott and FLCAC President Pat Goodman.

 
FLCAC, a volunteer organization, raised the money to purchase the piano from generous donors and through fund raising events over the past several years.  This donation adds to the numerous smaller purchases and the many youth scholarships the organization has made to support the Arts Center.  
 




Thursday, May 11, 2017

Leland Area Rotary Holds 7th Annual Charity Golf Tournament

The Wells Fargo PGA golf tournament was not the only high profile event going on in our area – at least that’s what the members of the Leland Area Rotary Club say.  They hosted the club’s 7th annual charity tournament on April 27 at Brunswick Forest’s challenging Cape Fear National Golf Course.  This year’s tournament has exceeded the number of players with 119 signed up to hit the links and support a fund raising effort that will bring in much welcomed funds to the Club.

Rotarian brothers, from left Dan, Ron and Rich Marulli volunteer at the 7th annual tournament.
 
Funds such as these raised at the Club’s annual Golf Classic make it possible to provide assistance to international and local organizations.  Recently the Club donated $10,000 to Brunswick Senior Resources to help fund the kitchen construction at the new Brunswick Center in Leland.  That facility will be used to create homemade Meals on Wheels food parcels as well as hearty lunches for the area’s needy elderly.  Funds have also been, and will continue to be, used for the Computers for Kids program, Matthews Ministry weekend food Backpacks for children, CART Alzheimer’s Research, West Virginia flood relief, local scholarships and much more.

Sponsors  of the event included Mainscape Landscape Solutions, Raymond James® - Jon Tait, CFP, Gold, Carolina Shores Car Wash, Disaster One Restoration Services and IronWord Press represented by author Judith Sanders.

Chartered on February 11, 2010, the 31 member Leland Area Rotary Club serves the community in northern Brunswick County.  Rotary is an organization of business and professional leaders worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world. For more information about Leland Area Rotary Club log on to visit the website here or follow them on Facebook.

Compass Pointe Honors Winner of Inaugural Golf Tournament

While everyone was talking about the Wells Fargo Championship last week, a Brunswick County community was having a golf tournament of its own. The inaugural Compass Pointe Classic presented by CresCom Bank was held May 1-6 at the Compass Pointe Golf Club. Christian Brand of Charleston, WV, was the winner out of 12 players in the final round with 2 under par at 69. He took home $8,000 and a trophy.


The Compass Pointe Classic kicked off with a player practice round and pro-am competition before the main event Wednesday through Saturday. The tournament included 26 golf pros mostly from the Southeast and was part of the Swing Thought Tour, a Double A tour that provides professional golfers from all over the world the opportunity to fine tune their skills in preparation for the PGA Tour. Many of the participating pros stayed all week with host families who live in Compass Pointe.

“The Hills family was great this week,” Brand said of his hosts Ron and Carol Hills. “We spent a lot of time together, but they gave me my space, too, which was nice. Being on the road, it’s nice to be out of a hotel environment and into a home and family environment.”


Brand also praised the course, calling it a “gem.” Designer Rick Robbins, a Compass Pointe resident who played in the pro-am tournament, said he was proud of his work on the course, which opened a year ago. “When you create something and people take enjoyment from it, that’s a gratifying feeling,” Robbins said. “I enjoy playing it. It’s a challenge to me.”


Michael Rush, a Charlotte golf pro and founder and CEO of the Swing Thought Tour, said the Compass Pointe Classic has plans to become an annual event, one of the tour’s biggest. “The community involvement has been amazing,” he said. “I think the golf course is in phenomenal shape for being so young, and we look forward to coming back next year when it’s more mature.”



Harold Perry, Compass Pointe golf pro, said the tournament was a great way to get residents more involved with what is happening at the golf course. “Everything we’re doing here is for the community,” he said.


For complete tournament results, click here.