The proceeds from the tournament go toward funding the Second Chance Annual Scholarship which assists students impacted by addiction with their educational expenses.
After losing a loved one in 2021, Darla Summers and her husband knew they wanted to find a way to support students who are working to overcome their circumstances and create better lives for themselves. The couple agreed that there was no better way to do that than by supporting future students’ education. “If they can get to a point where they can actually get a college education,” says Summers, “that’s something I want to commend them for.” So, they created the Second Chance Annual Scholarship.
The scholarship is managed by the Virginia Western Community College Educational Foundation and provides recipients in any area of study with $1,000 per academic year to put toward their book, tuition, and fee expenses. Priority is given to students who have been affected by addiction, but Summers emphasizes that this criteria can take many forms. “It’s not just about people that have had an addiction, but those that have either helped educate around it… or quite simply that they have a parent or loved one in their life [with an addiction] and are suffering along with them.”
The Summers family intends to one day have the scholarship endowed. This prompted them to start thinking about different fundraising options with their good friends, Greg and Laura Migliarese. With so many events being cancelled over the last two years due to the pandemic, the Summers and Migliareses families wanted to put something together where folks could safely gather and have a good time while supporting a great cause. “We were trying to brainstorm… how we could give back to the community by doing something fun,” says Summers. “It was actually Greg’s idea to entertain a golf tournament.”
Migliarese is also serving as the hole-in-one sponsor for the fundraiser and is generously donating a unique prize to the winner: a brand new John Deere tractor. “We’re in Southwest Virginia,” Migliarese says. “A lot of people can use the equipment, so this would be a good opportunity to really put something out there that someone could benefit from.”
The announcement of the tournament and the meaning behind it already has the community buzzing. The event currently has over 30 sponsors and golf teams are filling up fast. “Everybody is one hundred percent behind this. They believe it’s a great cause,” shares Migliarese. “I foresee this being a yearly event, just by how much we’ve done so far up to this point.”
The tournament will take place on Saturday, August 13 at Hidden Valley Country Club in Salem. Lunch will be served at noon with a tee time of 1 p.m. Registration for golf teams ends on July 25, and the tournament is open to both members and non-members of the country club. More information about the scholarship and the tournament, including the team registration form, can be found on the Second Chance Annual Scholarship Facebook page.
All questions can be directed to Darla Summers via email at darlasummers@hotmail.com or by phone at (540)-392-3669. If you wish to donate directly to the scholarship fund, you can do so here by typing “Second Chance Annual Scholarship” in the “Other” field located under the “Making a Difference” category.
About the Author:
Sarah Riddell is a blogger and freelance writer from Christiansburg, VA with a love for all things food, books and fur babies. She graduated from Roanoke College with a double major in Literary Studies and Business Administration.
