by RAYMA BEKEBROCK DAVIS
Lamar Democrat editor
(August 29, 2007) The second annual Barceda Families Golf Ball Drop was an even bigger success than last year’s event. In 2006 the amount raised to fund Barceda Families programs was $7,471.62 with $13,783.25 this year. A total of 4,785 balls were dropped from the helicopter over the baseball field in the Lamar City Park. It took two passes of the helicopter to carry all the balls.
For several months Barceda Families employees have been selling chances on numbered golf balls for the drop. This year 50 area businesses bought tickets for the balls for their employees as a perk or morale booster. The money from the fundraiser will go for programs used to prevent child abuse and domestic violence in Southwest Missouri, programs sponsored by Barceda Families.
First place went to Kristen Bishop, Lamar, who won the John Deere lawn tractor donated by Barton County Implement. Second place went to Sarah Sayre, Lamar, who won the Holland Grill donated by Isenhower Lumber. Dr. Kemp, Bolivar, won the Silver Dollar City tickets donated by the amusement park.
The judging of the placement of the balls was done by Senator Delbert Scott, Representative Ed Emery and Lamar Mayor Keith Divine. All the winners had a hole-in-one, and before the drop it was determined the determining factor for hole-in-one balls would be the northern most ball would take first, and then the balls would be taken from there in a clockwise pattern.
The money will certainly go to help Barceda meet their mission “Children are one third of our population and all of our future”.
For more information on Barceda and its programs go to barceda.org.
