IMMOKALEE (May 23, 2022) – RCMA announces that it raised $125,000 during its 22nd annual Lipman Family Farms Golf Classic on May 14 at Naples Heritage Golf and Country Club. Jaime Weisinger, RCMA board member and Lipman Family Farms director of community relations, was honorary co-chair with Mike Foley, CEO of Food & Supply Source, of the event that attracted more than 100 golfers.
First place was won by the team of Dennis Riedel, Drew Kuimjian, John Mengassi and Randy Miller from First Bank.
Second place was won by the team of David Bumpous, Marc Kipp, Matt Medlin and Tim Thompson from Arthrex.
Third place was won by the team Robert Dufrasne, Trevor Hamm, Keith Justice, and Joseph Sudak from Caloosa Dental.
In addition, at the event RCMA presented its 2nd annual Brad Young in Service to Children & Families Award to Michael Bayer of West Palm Beach, an RCMA board member since 2000 who currently serves as vice president and as chair of the Head Start committee. Bayer works as a labor consultant with Curran, Bayer & Associates.
“Michael Bayer fell in love with the Head Start belief that families are who we serve, not just children,” said Barbara Mainster Rollason, a board member since 2018 and former RCMA executive director. “His respect for the families shines through in his advocacy for them as part of the board. He has given thousands of hours leading the Head Start Subcommittee of the board, and is always ready to look at all sides of an issue, supporting the underdog or unpopular position fairly.”
Bayer agrees that the way RCMA includes families makes the organization stand out among other Head Start providers. “What I particularly like about RCMA is how we relate to the entire family and don’t just view the kids in a vacuum. It’s a complete effort to include parents, siblings, grandparents and other extended family. We even have nine parents as members of our board of directors, elected by other parents, and that is quite unusual.”
Golf tournament sponsors included: Lipman Family Farms, Food & Supply Source, National Educational Systems, M.E. Wilson, Publix Super Market Charities, H&F Architects, West Coast Tomato, Bill Ferrari, John Schmieding, BKS Partners, FFVA, Florida Tomatoes, Pepciso/Tropicana, Larry Salustro, The Young Family, Aedan Dowling, Healthcare Network, Naples Heritage Golf & Country Club, First Bank, Caloosa Dental, Seminole Tribe of Florida, Complete Restaurant Equipment and Supplies, Loos & Co., FCC & Her Homes, Cool Speak, Sulzer, Everglades Equipment Group, Big Bend Annual Charity Golf Scramble, Manuel Padilla, Trucommunications, Carter, WCHT Foundation, Zomma Group, PGIM Real Estate, DEC Contracting Group, FSU – College of Medicine, Catalytic Generators, Tampa Printing, Marco Office Supply, RSA Consulting Group, and Mail Processing Associates.
ABOUT RCMA
Established in 1965, RCMA is Florida’s largest nonprofit provider of quality early childhood education and family support services. Headquartered in Immokalee, RCMA serves people in rural areas living in poverty, primarily migrant and agriculture working families. RCMA operates more than 60 child development centers and two nationally recognized charter schools, and partners with 19 family child care homes and several afterschool care programs in 21 Florida counties. The organization employs 1,600 people, provides child care and education to more than 5,500 children each year, operates with a $98 million budget, and has more than 50,000 alumni. Learn more at rcma.org.
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