It’s time to tee up for the next generation of agriculturalists — the Almond Board of California’s (ABC) 2020-2021 Almond Leadership Program (ALP) class recently announced the return of the annual ALP Golf Tournament, where golfers will raise money to support the California FFA (Future Farmers of America) Foundation.
“We’re just looking forward to getting everyone together: growers, handlers and almond community members — all for a worthy cause,” said Nathaniel Roberts, current ALP participant and golf tournament chair. Like so many other events, the 2020 tournament was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Each year, the ALP class plans and executes fundraising events to support California FFA. Roberts was a shoe-in for the position of tournament chair — his father is a golf coach, his brother works at the hosting golf club, Dragonfly, and Roberts played golf all through high school and continues to hone his skills. According to Roberts, the golf tournament is an annual event that almond industry members look forward to playing.
Roberts isn’t the only one who thinks people are ready to participate in fundraising events after so few opportunities in the past year. “I think there’s a lot of pent-up demand for an event like this,” said Maureen Funk, California FFA Foundation Development Director. Funk hopes the event will raise more than $15,000 to support FFA. “The more money we raise, the more students will benefit.” Funds will be used to support statewide FFA proficiency awards as well as scholarships for FFA members pursuing careers in the agriculture industry.
The Almond Leadership Program has a long-standing tradition of supporting the California FFA Foundation, whose primary function is to support the 95,000 member-strong California FFA. “The foundation supports California FFA, whether it’s through promotion, finances, and the board’s service in assisting with events,” said Funk. “The Foundation works hard to connect students to members of the agriculture industry.”
The event, consisting of four-person teams, will be held on Friday, October 22, at Dragonfly Golf Club in Madera. The tournament will begin at 8 a.m. with a shotgun start. Registration fees for the event are $500 per foursome, which includes breakfast, an 18-hole team scramble and lunch. For those wishing to make an even greater contribution to support California FFA, sponsorship opportunities that range from $150 to $2,000 are also available. For more information, contact Nathaniel Roberts at nathaniel.roberts@wonderful.com or (559) 707-5682.
To enter the tournament, please fill out this entry form and return it to Rebecca Bailey at 1150 Ninth St, Suite 1500, Modesto, CA 95354 or rbailey@almondboard.com.
