Wildland firefighters will host 4th benefit Scramble

April 20, 2012

Tournament is
June 9 at DM

A four-person scramble for­mat golf tournament to benefit the Wildland Firefighter Foun­dation will be held at Dominion Meadows Golf Course on Satur­day, June 11 starting at 9 a.m. (shotgun start).
Entry fee is $50 per person. The entry includes greens fees and lunch. Mulligans and 50/50 tickets will be available for purchase. Team prizes will be awarded after the conclusion of play.
According to Al Garr, who is helping organize the third an­nual Northeast Washington Golf Scramble for the Wildland Fire­fighter Foun­dation, the principle focus of the foundation is to help families of firefighters killed in the line of duty and to assist injured fire­fighters and their families.
The Foundation came together as a group of volunteers in 1994, shortly after the Storm King tragedy near Glenwood Springs, Colorado that killed 14 wildland firefighters. With dedi­cation and lots of hard work, plans were developed for a na­tional monument to honor fire­fighters, a dream that was real­ized in 2000.

Formed in ‘99

The Foundation was officially formed in the spring of 1999. Since that time, the Foundation has provided emergency support services to the families of fire­fighters who have been seriously injured or killed in the line of duty.
Families left behind, many of them with young chil­dren, often find themselves with very few resources. That’s where the Foundation steps in to help.
Garr empha­sized that the tournament is a fund-raiser for the Foundation and is designed for everyone—golfer and non-golfer alike.
“This isn’t just a fund-raising golf tournament for the wildland firefighting community,” Garr emphasized. “We want everyone to come out and have a good time for a great cause that we really believe in.
“Even if you have never touched a golf club before, you can play in a four-person scramble. Everyone is welcome to join this fun event to benefit the Wildland Firefighter Foun­dation.”
The tournament even features a caveat that you’ll never see any any other tourney—fire­fighters on fire assignments will be given refunds if requested.
Garr noted that upwards of 250 wildland firefighters, many of them college students, are in this area during any given summer, working for state and federal agencies.
The Colville valley has a strong wildland firefighting presence—and an established golf tournament that will help perpetuate the good works of the Wildland Firefighters Foun­dation.
For more information on the Foundation, check the website at http://www.wffoundation.org/Index.asp.
Garr said that players can enter the tourna­ment individu­ally and be as­signed a team, or can put their own teams to­gether. Teams will be given a handicap “so that each team will have a chance to win.”
Entry forms are available at the Dominion Meadows pro shop, or by emailing Steve Rawlings at srawlings@fs.fed.us or Garr at garrinc@plix.com.
Entries need to be submitted no later than June 3. Players can sign up at Dominion Mead­ows Golf Course.
Submit entries to Garr (garrinc@plix.com) or co-chair Steve Rawlings (srawlings@fs.fed.us). Or call Garr at 680-2222 or Rawlings at 675-1835.