Bruce Stark memorial golf outing raises funds for Riverhead Rotary
The 34th annual Riverhead Rotary Bruce Stark Memorial golf outing welcomed around 80 golfers to the green at The Rock Golf Club in Wading River. The event is one of three major fundraisers for the Rotary’s scholarship fund, tying into the its motto of service above self.
“We raise approximately $100,000 for scholarships for Riverhead students,” said Randy Morreale, this year’s Rotary president.
The Rotary’s mission to bring the community together to raise funds that support educational opportunities for Riverhead High School students. The goal is to empower the next generation of leaders, recognize academic and personal achievements and invest in their future.
“My dad was a very active Rotarian, so he did this throughout the course of his life, and I was raised in the Rotary, you know, ‘service above self.’ It’s what he wanted me to do. It’s very rewarding,” said Brian Stark, Bruce Stark’s son and himself a Rotarian. “We’ll have about 80 golfers, and then about 50 or 60 come for dinner, so we’re at about 150 people. It’s a good group. New faces, old faces.”
Dawn Vogel, the organizer of this year’s event, was pleased with the turnout.
“The event went well and all of the players said that they had a great time and it was a beautiful day,” she said.
Because the Rotary is an all-volunteer organization, all of the money raised goes directly to the scholarship fund, increasing the impact of each donation.
“I think it’s important [to note] because if we give back, it’s a good feeling. We keep the money local. You can give money to the American Heart Association and Cancer Society — and those are good organizations — but nothing comes off the top here,” said Mr. Stark. “You give them $1,000, a thousand is going the Rotary and the scholarships itself. We don’t have a lot of overhead, so we’re pretty lean and mean. It’s all volunteers.”
