At this year’s Bridgestone Invitational, the PGA professionals won’t be the only ones competing.
Northern Ohio Golf Charities is pitting local mayors against each other, challenging them to outdo each other in recruiting event volunteers from their staff.
The inaugural Mayors Cup Challenge announced its friendly face-off Monday, issuing an invitation to government employees from Akron, Barberton, Cuyahoga Falls, Green, Stow and the Summit County. The municipal group which registers the greatest number of new Bridgestone Invitational volunteers, proportional to its size, will win the cup.
Attending Monday’s announcement were Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro, Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan, Cuyahoga Falls Mayor Don Walters, Stow Mayor Sara Kline and Green Mayor Gerard Neugebauer. Barberton Mayor Bill Judge was unable to attend but accepted the challenge, cup organizers said.
Stow’s Kline said the golf tournament gives the area “amazing exposure on a world-wide stage.”
“I’m looking forward to collaborating with and competing against my fellow mayors to infuse excitement and energy into this event,” Kline said.
She said the city would get information out to employees and residents about volunteer opportunities using social media and news releases.
This year’s Bridgestone Invitational is Aug. 2-6 at Firestone Country Club in Akron. It’s one of the four World Golf Championships and annually generates more than $1 million for Northeast Ohio charities, as well as having an estimated $21 million impact on the area’s economy.
It takes more than 1,000 volunteers to pull off the week-long affair.
“Our volunteers are the key to our event’s success and it takes a team effort to do what we do,” said Sandy Becker-Neidert, 2017 tournament volunteer chair.
“The Bridgestone Invitational has a phenomenal volunteer family that annually comes together
to put on a community event that is showcased to the world,” said Don Padgett III, the Bridgestone Invitational executive director. “We are excited to partner with area cities and Summit County to add new members to this family.”
The Mayors Cup will be presented at a special ceremony during tournament week.
Northern Ohio Golf Charities is the non-profit volunteer organization that has helped operate
professional golf tournaments in Akron for more than 60 years.
Since 1984, the organization has raised and distributed more than $26 million to charities throughout
Northeast Ohio.
Anyone interested in volunteering may call Glenda Buchanan, volunteer coordinator, at 330-245-2302 or email at glendab@neo.rr.com.
Paula Schleis can be reached at 330-996-3741 or pschleis@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/paulaschleis.