$8,000 raised at golf tourney fundraiser for teen suicide prevention
Hunter Holmes was a 16-year-old boy who took his own life on Dec. 14, 2017. He was a loving son, brother and friend. He was loved and admired by all that knew him. Hunter had a smile that would light an entire room and a unique sense of humor. He was a gifted athlete, he played basketball, was the goalie and captain for the Redmond High School soccer team, as well as captain for the RHS golf team.
On Saturday., May 12, the first annual Hunter Holmes Memorial Golf Tournament was held at Meadow Lakes Golf Course in Prineville. The tournament hosted 160 golfers, and 215 were in attendance for the dinner and raffle. Over 50 donors contributed to the raffle, including Dixon Golf, Fin & Fire, Hooker Creek, Redmond High School welding department, Meyer Family, and many other local businesses and individuals.
Over $8,000 was raised on May 12, and matching funds are still coming in! “We are blown away by the support and attendance by the community,” said Travis & Erika Holmes, Hunter’s parents. The Second Annual Hunter Holmes Memorial Golf Tournament will be held on May 18, 2019 at Meadow Lakes Golf Course.
The Hunter Holmes Memorial Fund is a non-profit which will direct all funds to help finance, educate, counsel, train and support local kids, their families and their school here in Central Oregon on suicide and the effects concussions have in youth sports. To date, the funds raised have gone to:
· A scholarship to be awarded each year to two high school seniors
· The “Safe Oregon” app installed on all Redmond School District Chromebooks
· Speakers on suicide prevention at RHS
· Creating a professional video to be shown in all RHS mentor period classes. The vision of this video is for students to have the ability to see and hear what might be going on in others’ lives and to have empathy and kindness toward everyone
They have also been meeting with RHS’s high school athletic trainer and a Bend doctor who focuses on concussions in youth sports. Their hope is to bring more awareness on how concussions affect the brain and impulse control.
For more information:
Facebook – Hunter Holmes Memorial Golf Tournament
PO Box 57
Redmond, OR 97756
Donations are accepted at SELCO Community Credit Union, Account #616333