Members of the Whitford Country Club in Exton have teed off on a remarkable drive to score a better quality of life for their neighbors, and the initiative could soon get clubs across the region scrambling to the tee box.

After enjoying 32 rounds of its popular Pro-Am tradition, Whitford took a bold new shot in 2011 by filling the entire weekend after Labor Day with competitions and purses that pay it forward rather than pay out.

“We can all make a difference in a person’s life if we take the opportunity to do so,” Belfor USA CEO Sheldon Yellen said at the 2014 Whitford Charitable Fund Classic Gala, according to the Chester County Community Foundation 2015 Annual Report.

What Whitford did was host three days of fun, all to benefit local charitable causes through its new Whitford Charitable Fund. The annual event features the Friday Women’s Tennis Classic, a gala dinner, and a dance and auction; Saturday’s Men’s Tennis Classic and the Whitford Charitable Fund Classic golf tourney; and the traditional Whitford Charitable Golf Pro-Am on Sunday, featuring Philly region PGA players; along with a July “Give Something Back” one-day golf outing to kickstart the fundraising season.

On their first swing, Whitford members raised $65,000, and the club’s fairways have since scored more than half a million in green for dozens of charitable causes — all thanks to the vision and hard work of key players Lynn Bevevino, Kim Brumbaugh, Bill Cain, Bob Gorr, Gwynne Gorr, Ed Hart, Bruce Hockman, Peter Hoover, Larry Kelly, Tom Myles, George Powers, Maryanne Parsons, Steve Seide, Daryl Tunno, James Terry, Lou Teti and Michael Williams, as well as a critical partnership with the Chester County Community Foundation.

“We were excited about getting our first Whitford Charitable Fund Classic off the ground in September 2011,” Chairman Terry said in the report. “We certainly knew how to get members and their friends together to golf, swim and play tennis; and to dance, eat and drink. But we discovered that the back-office administrative work was more than our committee volunteers could easily take on.”

Fortunately, the community foundation stepped up to the critical role of banking, bookkeeping and processing contributions so members could focus on championing the classic and its many worthwhile beneficiaries to fellow members and the public.

“We have a young membership at the club, which is good. The Whitford Charitable Fund Classic gets them engaged,” Terry said. “They soon find that it’s more than just a party. This year, the golf sold out right away, our aquatics members are now involved in a fundraising Swim-A-Thon, and men’s and ladies’ tennis events were a great success. So many more people have become engaged, and they find ways to ‘give something back’ and help others. In addition to the event, people learn more about charities in their backyard. And now we’ve seen more people volunteering for local charities. They’re involved in community service year-round.”

That kind of success is piquing the interest of not just golfers and community boosters with connections to Whitford but sports enthusiasts and philanthropists across Chester County.

“Maybe there is a way to take this to other clubs and get them involved,” Terry noted. “We have a model. With other clubs, we could make this a Chester County thing. Maybe we all pick one day for all the clubs to give something back and make it a regional initiative.”

There’s always room for more green to make a difference in someone’s life.

Read more about how the Whitford Charitable Fund got started on VISTA Today here.