BEST Fundraiser Golf Event Yet! 

Our 8th Annual Charity Golf Classic took place on a slightly breezy and beautiful blue-skied day on the McCormick Ranch Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. Valued sponsors and community partners—as well as amazingly generous individuals and golf course staff—helped make this year’s event the best yet! 

Overflowing with gratitude and awe, we are pleased to share that $518,184.28 was raised to be directly given back and benefit local charitable groups and organizations throughout Arizona. 100%!

We know that this would not have been possible without the support of many. Together we truly do more and have a greater impact in the lives of those who need help most. So, thank you, thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

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Almost Reached $1-Million Goal

The pandemic created many challenges throughout 2020. One of those challenges was the postponement of our 7th Annual Charity Golf Classic. As the golf classic is our biggest fundraising event, we were determined to squeeze it in before the end of the year.

On December 4, 2020, thanks once again to the generosity of sponsors, community partners, and individuals, $461,334 was raised! Add that total to what was raised in 2021, and we ended up a little over $20,400 shy of raising $1 million in five months.

This just goes to show that time and again, people are willing to step up in a BIG way. This goodwill is also reflected in the steady increase of proceeds raised year-after-year from each of our annual charity golf classics since 2016:

• 2019 = $420K
• 2018 = just over $285k
• 2017= just over $250k
• 2016 = just over $200k

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Photos from 8th Annual Charity Golf Classic:

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Lerner and Rowe Gives Back is excited to once again partner with Peoria Ford for the Escape the Shelters doggo adopt-a-thon. This year’s goal has been increased to making 500 furever home adoptions across 20 local shelters.

This two Saturday event will happen on May 8 and May 15 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the Peoria Ford showroom (9130 W Bell Rd., Peoria, AZ 85382).  

A few dog breeds up for adoption include Mastiffs, Great Danes, German Shepherds, Labs, Golden Retrievers, and many smaller breeds as well.

How to Help Make Escape the Shelters a Success

Here are a few ways that you can help spread the word, and in turn help dogs get found and matched with new families: 

1. Go to the Facebook Escape the Shelters event page 
2. Click Interested or Going—even if you aren’t able to attend, clicking INTERESTED or GOING will alert your network to the event
3. Click Invite—you can send out invitations to people in your network that you think might want to attend 
4. Share—you can also share this event as a post or just engage with this event page in the DISCUSSION section
5. Adopt—stop by Peoria Ford’s showroom on May 8 or May 15 to find your new four-legged family member

To learn more about the Escape the Shelters event (or if you run or volunteer with a shelter and would like to participate), please reach out and contact Peoria Ford by leaving a message with your contact info on the event page.

The Phoenix Zoo is a non-profit that relies solely on admissions, memberships, donations, and sponsorships to fund its conservation initiatives, educational programs, and the care of over 3,000 animals. Since 1962, the Phoenix Zoo has made it a priority to inspire and motivate guests across the globe to understand and respect the importance of caring for the natural world. 

And just like many other industries, the zoo was financially impacted by COVID-19 closures—putting a strain on the staff’s resources to ensure they can medically support the animals and prepare the approximately 5,000 daily meals required to nourish the animals in their care. 

As our foundation believes we have a responsibility to advocate for and improve the lives of the hungry and threatened, to include our four-legged friends, we felt compelled to step up and join other community members in supporting the zoo’s conservation and educational efforts by becoming a $15,000 Komodo Dragon level corporate sponsor. 

How You Can Join Us in Helping the Phoenix Zoo

There are a variety of ways for you to help the Phoenix Zoo right now, to include:

• Making an online donation to the zoo’s animal relief fund
• Adopting a zoo animal to help feed it for a year
• Volunteering your time 
• Becoming a member or renewing your membership
• Purchasing an item on the zoo’s wish list to gift to an animal
• Becoming a corporate sponsor

As quoted on the zoo’s website, “There is NO zoo without YOU.” So please, join us in giving back however you can to help ensure their caretakers have the necessary means to compassionately look after these animals.  

Together, we can do more to positively impact our local communities.

Lerner and Rowe Gives Back loves to support community events that directly benefit local military veterans and first responders. As a Friends of American Heroes Sponsor of the 2021 Seville Golf & Country Club Charity Classic on Saturday, May 8, 2021, our nonprofit gets to do just that.

2021 Seville Golf & Country Club Charity Classic Highlights

Aside from a day of golf and goodwill, this day of giving will also include:

• Food
• Entertainment
• Auction
• And, more!

What Is the American Heroes Foundation?

American Heroes Foundation (AHF) is an Arizona based, IRS approved 501(c)3 dedicated to supporting the health and wellness of Military Veterans and First Responders. AHF raises funds and donates dollars and time to activities that provide physical, mental, and emotional health and wellness support to recipient military veteran and first responder organizations.

Join Us & Get Involved

Please contact Lindsey Cartwright at lindsey.cartwright@clubcorp.com or call (480) 279-3024 to learn more about how you can also get involved in supporting Arizona military and first responders by participating in/supporting the 2021 Charity Classic at the Seville Golf and Country Club.

Over the weekend, our Chicago team happily collaborated on a Cops & Kids event with the Chicago Police Department’s 22nd District and their CAPS program.

This event brought area youth together with Chicago police officers for an afternoon filled with games, snacks, and a mobile escape room!

The purpose of events like these are not only to bring kids together in a safe environment, but also to help break down any barriers of fear or mistrust between the community and law enforcement. 

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More photos from the Cops & Kids event in Chicago:

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Another volunteer activity in the books for our Indiana team! Last week, our staff spent time making over 100 goodie bags for Haven House and Housing Opportunities.

These two wonderful organizations provide resources and support to those in the community facing homelessness and crisis situations.

Thanks to our staff for all their hard work in helping us help the community!

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Our Las Vegas gives back team donated face masks, hand sanitizer, and time to help the Clark County School District Police and the Injured Police Officer Fund hand out over 600 backpacks loaded with school supplies on Saturday, March 27, at  Mojave High School. The Las Vegas City Marshals and Nellis AFB Security Forces were also present to get Las Vegas students ready to return to school.  

On top of getting a backpack filled with essential school items, students received clothing to build the excitement of going back to school.     

“With the reopening of Las Vegas, we are grateful for these priceless partnership opportunities that have such a positive impact within communities. We truly love working with law enforcement agencies who engage in community area policing that directly benefits parents and ensures that students have the needed school supplies and other necessities to succeed in school,” shared Glen Lerner, Esq.

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Photos for the Back to School Backpack Giveaway:

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We are proud to once again partner with the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA). This organization supports our schools and students by creating an ethical culture through activities that encourage maximum student participation.

And even though social distancing protocols are still in place, we hope that you join us in cheering on the local high school athletes from a distance.

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Nourishing Arizona Communities Together with United Food Bank

April 6 Update: We are excited to announce that Arizonians showed up to join us in giving back to the United Food Back. With your help, a total of $62,750 dollars was raised which includes our matching donation of $15,000! Donations will be used to provide 300,000 meals to families facing hunger in Phoenix!

Members of our team were also amped to volunteer their time on AZ Gives Day to pack 1,190 bags that will be used to locally fight hunger in the Valley of the Sun.

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Original post from March 24: Lerner and Rowe Gives Back is dedicated to helping fight hunger in Arizona! As such, we’ve partnered with United Food Bank to kick off early giving for Arizona Gives Day! More specifically, this year we’ve agreed to generously match donations up to $15,000 to the United Food Bank to fight hunger in Arizona. 

Donate today to help provide 150,000 meals for AZ families facing hunger by visiting azgives.org/unitedfoodbank to give! 

How United Food Bank Changes Lives

United Food Bank helps lead the fight against hunger in the East Valley and eastern Arizona by providing food and more to over 165 nonprofit hunger relief partner agencies and programs, as well as child nutrition and senior meal programs. 

After the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country, the need for food rose exponentially across the state. In 2020 alone, the food bank distributed more than 27 million pounds of food, providing 22.5 million meals. This total was a 20 percent increase over 2019.

Join us in giving back to help provide nutritious food and hope to those who currently don’t know where their next meal is coming from. And remember, any dollar amount donated will be appreciated and counts double as our team will match every dollar up to $15,000! 

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Watch this personal message of encouragement from Kevin Rowe: