For the Boys & Girls Club of Miami-Dade County, two of the biggest events on the annual calendar are golf-related. The Collection Audi quattro Cup, sponsored by luxury auto dealer the Collection, is a 45-year-old, semi-pro event that raises money for the Boys & Girls Club and qualifies the winners to go to August's Audi quattro Cup U.S. Final in Pebble Beach, California. Meanwhile, for the past 13 years the club has also hosted an annual fall golf tournament in honor of the late "Bebe" Rebozo, one of the organization's biggest donors.
This year, organizers decided to merge the two events, hoping the club could keep longtime sponsors happy and reel in more donations by creating one larger event. So the 2012 tournament, which took place March 19 at the Deering Bay Yacht & Country Club, was dubbed the Boys & Girls Club of Miami-Dade County 45th Annual Golf Classic in Memory of "Bebe" Rebozo.
"The initial challenge was that we have a lot of sponsors who usually double up and support both of these events," said Astrid Ehrenstein, director of development and special events for the Boys & Girls Club of Miami-Dade County. "So we weren't sure if sponsors who give $5,000 to each event would be willing to give $10,000 at once instead. Fortunately, we were happy to find out that most of them were not only willing to do so, but it also gave us the opportunity to bring on more sponsors. Having something that was on more of a grand scale than in the past made it a little easier from a marketing perspective."
In addition to 35 foursomes competing on the course, the day included a putting contest, a raffle for items including opera tickets and package vacations, a performance from the Miami Heat dance team, and an on-site display of the Collection's Audi models. Ultimately, more than 60 sponsors got on board, and the Boys & Girls Club raised more than $100,000, surpassing the haul from both of last year's events combined.
