June 26 golf event to benefit
Jackson high school students
JACKSON — What started as an informal competition designed to allow teachers of the Christa McAuliffe Middle School to laugh at each other’s golfing skills has turned into an opportunity to provide scholarships for Jackson Memor-ial High School Students.
On June 26, a group of Jackson staff will be holding a golf scramble at Pebble Creek Golf Course in Colts Neck. According to a press release, because of an $1,800 sponsorship from Dr. Jeffrey Marvin of Jackson Dental Arts, the golf outing is off to a great start.
"We were golfing one day and talking about how we could combine our love of golf with our desire to benefit the students of Jackson," said Candee Preston, a teacher at the McAuliffe Middle School and co-chair of the event. "With input from other members of the staff, the idea just took on a life of its own."
When teacher Chris Vaughn, who is also chairing the event, was speaking to Marvin, his dentist, the golf outing got an unexpected and generous helping hand.
"I started thinking about sponsoring a hole on the course for the event and decided this was a great opportunity to do more," Marvin said. "So we decided we would sponsor the entire event, not just one hole."
Marvin does not live in Jackson but feels a connection to the town, where he has practiced dentistry since 1981. Many of his patients live in Jackson, he said, so he wanted to give something back to the community.
The kicker: Marvin doesn’t even golf.
"I’m not a golfer, but I wanted to be a part of it," he said. "So I figured I’d just underwrite the event."
This is not the first charitable endeavor for Marvin, according to the press release. He also participates in the Have a Heart fund-raiser for the Tara Mark Foundation run by the Jackson Women of Today and in fund-raisers for Ocean’s Harbor House, a teen shelter.
Vaughn said the golf event should be a lot of fun.
"Something like this gives the staff of the other schools and the community a chance to have some fun together," he said.
A $90 entrance fee covers golf, cart, barbecue dinner, soft drinks and beer. Since the entrance fee goes to the course, local businesses and residents are offered an opportunity to sponsor a hole for $100 or have their business promoted in the event program for $25.
For more information or to donate, call the McAuliffe Middle School at (732) 833-4701 or contact Judy at Jackson Den-tal Arts at (732) 364-1700. Checks for sponsorship may be sent to Christa Mc-Auliffe Middle School, attention Chris Vaughn, by May 30. Golfers may send their entry fees to the same address. All donations are tax deductible.