LAKEWOOD, Wash. (Sept. 23, 2010) – The Ben B. Cheney Foundation, based in Tacoma, has awarded a $60,000 grant to the Friends of American Lake Veterans Golf Course. The gift will assist with completing the Rehabilitation and Learning Center, which opened earlier this year.
“The Cheney Foundation was among the first to support the mission of the “Friends,” said Harold “Pepper” Roberts, founder and president of the organization that serves as the nonprofit fundraising arm for the unique facility. “During the past five years, the generous gifts from this foundation have been instrumental in helping us with many projects,” he stated, adding, “This support is greatly appreciated by the veterans and wounded warriors who use the course and practice facilities, as well as by the 180-plus volunteers who maintain and operate American Lake Veterans Golf Course.”
ALVGC is in the midst of a multi-million campaign to expand and enhance the facility, which encompasses the only golf course in the country designed specifically for wounded and disabled veterans. Last year, Jack Nicklaus and Nicklaus Design donated design services to create nine new holes and to enhance the accessibility of the existing nine-hole track. With that contribution, the “Friends” embarked on a campaign to raise $3 million for construction-related costs.
Roberts said they now have the land and they’ve raised about one-fourth of the goal. They hope to break ground when contributions reach the $2 million mark.
ALVGC is situated on 377 acres in Lakewood, Washington, near Tacoma and Seattle, and nearby Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) and VA Puget Sound Health Care System, American Lake Division. In 2004, volunteers established the Friends of American Lake Veterans Golf Course, a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation, to assist with improvements, repairs, care and maintenance of the course.
About the Ben B. Cheney Foundation
The Ben B. Cheney Foundation, established in 1955, honors its namesake’s passion for innovation, hard work, community well-being and sports. Geographically, the Foundation prefers to fund projects in communities where the Cheney Lumber Company operated. Among its funding priorities are investments in equipment and facilities that will have a lasting impact on community needs.
Contact:
Harold “Pepper” Roberts, president,
Friends of American Lake Veterans Golf Course, (253) 589-1998
Online: www.veterangolf.org
benbcheneyfoundation.org
