STAMFORD, Vt. — This past sunny Saturday, 10 teams were preparing to play at Stamford Valley Golf Course in the 8th annual Drury High School Alumni Golf Tournament.
The annual tourney grew out of a class reunion nearly a decade ago that has since raised thousands of dollars to help the North Adams, Mass., high school.
The event is sponsored by the Drury class of 1973, said Nancy Bullett, a founder and organizer, and includes alumni from 1965 to 1978.
"It started as an outing for our reunion and we thought, why not make it annual? Why not make it a fundraiser?" she said. "It's a win-win for everybody."
The number of teams and players has gone up and down over the years, but the donations flowing in from Drury alum each year has been steady.
Fellow organizer and classmate Susan Aitkens put the total raised so far at "a lot."
"More and more alumni are joining," said Bullett, a city councilor, although the biggest donators continue to be the class of '73. Aitkens pointed out that a number of the sponsors also have contributed every year.
What does it do? The nonprofit foundation supports material needs for instruction at the high school. The technology program, for example, was awarded $750 a couple years ago for an injection molding machine. It's also provided funding toward calculators, software, high-tech projectors and other educational tools for the classroom.
Bullett said classmate Pamela Kidder, in the principal's office, does a presentation to get the word out to the high school teachers. "We encourage teachers to write letters of request," she said. They're also welcome to join the tournament.
The organizers also wanted to get the word out to Drury graduates that they don't have to be from the class of 1973 to get contribute. Donations are accepted year-round.
"Because it's a public school, the thought is they don't need fundraising," Bullett said. "The reality is there is not the kind of money available for some of these things."
Donations can be sent in care of Pamela Kidder, Drury High School, 1130 Church St., North Adams, MA 01247; for more information, Bullett can be contacted at ptofna@yahoo.com.
northadams.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
MEMBER SIGN IN
