Terry Nelson (left), business manager and Secretary-Treasurer for IUPAT District Council 82, joins golfers from the Lockridge Grindal & Nauen law firm (L to R), Dan Larson, Karen Riebel and Andy Burmeister.
Painters and Allied Trades District Council 82’s annual PATCH Golf Fundraiser Aug. 29 was the biggest – and most successful – in the 11-year history of the event, Business Manager Terry Nelson said.
The tournament drew a record 205 golfers, enough to fill both 18-hole courses at Majestic Oaks Golf Club in Ham Lake. It marks the continuation of a recent trend, as participation in the PATCH fundraiser has doubled over the last four years.
That’s good news for the PATCH Foundation, which stands for Painters and Allied Trades for Children’s Hope. Founded in 2001, the Painters’ charity supports literacy programs, children’s hospitals, child-abuse prevention initiatives and other efforts to improve the lives of children in the area.
In 2009 PATCH donated $80,000 to Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, where IUPAT members “work every day doing maintenance work,” Nelson said. The foundation has supported efforts to build a neo-natal care center and to stock a hospital library with children’s books.
Nelson said District Council 82 works to spread PATCH donations across the state. The charity has made donations to Duluth schools and the Ronald McDonald House in Rochester. In Maple Lake, PATCH helped citizens start their own library after the county closed its branch.
District Council 82 tries to raise about $13,000 annually for PATCH, Nelson said. “The goal is to continue to grow and become a very large charitable giver in the community,” he added.
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