The Community Leaders Association at California Lutheran University held its 24th Annual Student Scholarship Golf Tournament at Tierra Rejada Golf Club in Moorpark on Monday, April 14, according to the Cal Lutheran website.  

The day consisted of golf and fundraising that directly benefits Cal Lutheran students, according to Beth Ward, a board member for the Community Leaders Association and a double alumna of Cal Lutheran. 

Ward served as the sponsorship chair for this year’s event, and said that the tournament succeeded in increasing participation over last year, with around 112 golfers compared to 108 the previous year. While final fundraising numbers have not been released yet, according to Ward, the organization wishes to raise at least $10,000 for student scholarships.

“Our goal always is to involve students in any of the fundraisers that we do. We had student golfers, we had student volunteers, we had a student photographer for the day. We get them involved. They do a lot of the announcements and really show the golfers and the participants and sponsors why we’re there. We’re there for the students,” Ward said.

“It’s really important that we have enough businesses come in to help financially support our students,” Laylanie Valenzuela, a student representative for CLA, said. “Any profit that is made from the golf tournament is used in student scholarships.”

The event takes months to plan, according to Ward.

“It’s months of preparation. We try to identify sponsors and donors who have participated in the past, but we also try to find new sponsors and people to not only golf but donate different things and just be a part of the event because the more that it grows, the more we’re able to do additional scholarships for students and at some point possibly even increase the amount that we can help with,” Ward said.

The tournament gives students other opportunities aside from golfing, according to Valenzuela.

“We always are looking for student volunteers to help with the golf day itself. Running a golf tournament is a big task, so you need people to help, maybe with check-in or help make sure the golfers know how to get to their cart or maybe set up or break down,” Valenzuela said.

The overall winners of this year’s tournament were members of the Cal Lutheran golf team.

“The team that won everything, they won the closest, the longest drive, the closest to the pin, which means the ball got closest to the hole. And overall, the best score was the golf team from Cal Lutheran,” Ward said.

A big portion of the fundraising comes not only from participation fees, but also from other activities that took place throughout the day. 

“We sell a lot of raffle tickets. We sell a lot of different things to win prizes throughout the day, and all of that money goes directly to student scholarships because all the items that we obtain have been donated,” Ward said.

Ward said that all of the money raised via raffle tickets goes towards student scholarship opportunities.

“If you golf, obviously a big portion of that goes directly to the golf course because they have to pay for their services. But on the raffle tickets and the opportunity drawings that we offer, 100% of that goes directly to scholarships,” Ward said.

Valenzuela said the scholarships that students are playing for are competitive. 

“We usually invite [recipients] to an award ceremony for the Matthews Leadership Forum, that is prior to the forum, so they’re talking one-on-one with the sponsors of that event in recognition. And I feel like everyone’s truly grateful for the scholarship that they do receive,” Valenzuela said.

Financial benefits aside, both Ward and Valenzuela said there is value to the tournament when it comes to building community between Cal Lutheran and the surrounding community.

“It deeply impacts our relationship with local communities,” Valenzuela said. “The more they come to events and they actually get to speak with students, it just really instills Cal Lutheran’s mission that helps propel their students and give them these real-world experiences.”

Similarly, Ward said that the event consists of networking and community involvement. 

“It’s just such a fun day even though we’re exhausted at the end. Every single time, we’re just so thrilled that we got to spend the day with both students and business leaders throughout the whole community. Everyone has the benefit at the end knowing that what they participated in helps students.”

Ward and Valenzuela also both said that students or community members who may be interested in participating in future tournaments do not need to have golfing experience in order to contribute to and enjoy the event. 

“Golf is generally a life game. I have family members who’ve made deals on the course before. It’s such a pivotal game, whether that’s for life or in business. So I’m really glad that we have an event like this for a chance to grow our students,” Valenzuela said.

According to the Cal Lutheran website, the tournament featured a scramble format with games throughout, range balls, cart, beverages, a taco bar lunch, an awards ceremony, and chances to win various prizes. Cal Lutheran staff and faculty members received a discounted rate for participation.