Trending
The 10th annual Tee'd Off Against Violence Golf Tournament will take place at the Fort Dodge Country Club starting at 9 a.m. Saturday.
The golf outing helps support the Homicide/Other Violent Crimes office, which is part of the Domestic/Sexual Assault Outreach Center in Fort Dodge.
This is the third year the four-person best shot tournament will be held at the country club.
"This tournament is huge for us," said D/SAOC Program Director Leah Bair. "We are a grant funded agency for both the D/SAOC shelter and the H/OVC office. But the grants only go so far, so this fundraiser as well as our annual Cake Auction is what helps fill in the gaps."
This year's tournament will include some new games on the course to commemorate the 10th year of the outing. There will be a free will donation lunch, hole games, raffles and prizes along with both an in-person silent auction at the golf course and online auction.
"We have so many sponsors that help put on this event with very little overhead," said Bair. "Ball Plumbing has always been a huge sponsor and Steve Fuller at the country club does amazing things for us. And our donors have been so generous to provide us items for the auctions.
"And the community is so generous. We make a few phone calls and we don't get 'no' for an answer very often. They are always so giving and that's huge for us."
The Homicide/Other Violent Crimes Program was originated by Leonard Fuller in the late 1990s. The H/OVC Program went from serving survivors in eight counties to serving 15 counties in 2013. Outreach offices were established in Fort Dodge and Waterloo.
The program focuses on supporting families that have been through a horrific, violent crime, whether they lost a loved one due to a homicide, they are going through a funeral process, they’re going through a court process or they might just need some emotional support, said Bair. Most people are not sure who to turn to in those situations and so that help is what the H/OVC program offers, she added.
Online auction items went live at 10 a.m. today and bidding will continue until 7 p.m. Monday. The site for the online auction is https://HOVCGOLF2026.givesmart.com. The website can also be accessed through the D/SAOC website or Facebook page.
An in-person silent auction at the country club will begin at 9 a.m. as golfers are teeing off and will be closed when the final group of golfers is done playing, usually between 3 and 4 p.m., according to Bair. Anyone is welcome to bid online or in person whether they are playing or not.