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Patriot Day Golf Scramble benefits local first responders

Golfers got in practice swings on the driving range and putting green to prepare themselves for the first installment of the VIAM Patriot Day Golf Scramble Friday at WillowBrook Golf Club Friday, Aug. 11.

VIAM Manufacturing CEO Keith Hayes said during the event that the Manchester company has been raising funds to give back to area first responders for more than 20 years, but Friday was the first time a golf tournament has been a part of those fundraising efforts.

“If you know anything about VIAM, we are pretty patriotic,” Hayes said to the assembled golfers. “We made a vow not to let anybody ever forget 9/11 or at least the people we came in touch with.”

Company employees set about raising $911 in pennies for the first anniversary of 9/11.

“That is how we started, we put little penny boxes in all our work cells and people would get their change and put in pennies,” Hayes said. “That $911 actually turned into about $3,000 to $4,000.”

The following year the fundraising efforts became more of a competition with different teams within the plant resulting in between $40,000 and $50,000 raised, Hayes said.

The event continued to grow, with the money raised being donated to Coffee County Rescue Squad, the Coffee County Sherriff’s Department and the Manchester Fire Department.

Coffee County Sherriff’s Department Sergeant Daniel Ray was on hand for the event at the golf course.

“It means the world to us,” he said. “VIAM is such a good supporter of the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office and first responders all around and we are definitely blessed that they come out here and do this.”

“We really, really appreciate what they are doing,” Ray added.

Rick Franks of the Coffee County Rescue Squad was at the golf course practicing his putting before the tournament kicked off at 8 a.m. Select first responders were assigned a hole to provide a free putt for teams passing through.

“We are supposed to do one free putt for the team that comes through,” he said. “Hopefully I will get them closer to the hole than they were before I started.”

Franks said the Coffee County Rescue Squad greatly appreciates the support from VIAM Manufacturing.

“It is quite expensive to run that Rescue Squad, and so anything that we can get that helps us with finances is greatly appreciated,” he said.

Franks said some of the Coffee County Rescue Squad’s current projects include completing the assembly of a grain bin recovery unit, as well as putting a bed on the first new truck the organization has ever purchased.

Hayes said that while numbers dipped during the COVID-19 pandemic, donations have since recovered.

“I think this year is going to be a record year,” Hayes said. “We really do appreciate all of you guys coming out and just do it in the spirit of America.”

At the close of the tournament, the winners were the team of Samuel Prater, John Collins, Ty Beasley and Kyle Chumbley.