DMF and Scottsdale-based Pinnacle Aviation, in partnership with the Desert Mountain Golf Professionals and the Cactus Classic Golf Tournament, presented the Seventh Annual Pinnacle Aviation Putting Challenge fundraising event with all proceeds benefitting the DMF Scholarship Fund and Golf Staff Education Fund. Click to read the full post-event summary.

 

Damon DiOrio, Desert Mountain Club CEO, suggested the DMF Day of Play as a way to involve all areas of the facilities and beauty of the Club. Members could engage in golf, pickleball, tennis, swimming, hiking, and other outdoor activities to help raise money. DMF Board members and volunteers greeted members at each location and offered them a pledge card to designate an amount per stroke, lap, game or a lump sum donation amount. We received donations ranging from $20 to $2,000! Over $30,000 was raised; not bad for our first event during a pandemic. 

 

An annual event that sells out in hours was expanded this year. In previous years, we sold anywhere from 300 to 350 tickets with a one in 10 chance of winning a prize and a one in 300 to 350 chance to win the First Prize: a free cart pass for a year. This year, we increased the number of tickets available to 600, gathered 61 total prizes (two of which were two First Prizes). Past sponsors from the cancelled Home & Lifestyle Party, local businesses, and the DM Club donated the prizes. All 600 tickets sold out in a matter of hours. Two Scholars picked the two winning tickets on December 15, 2020. In total, $50,000 was raised. 

 

The Home & Lifestyle Party typically provides attendees with the Sponsor Business Directory, a listing of the sponsors who pay to attend the event and who help fund the DMF Scholarship Fund. Even though we cancelled the Home & Lifestyle Party this year, the Board decided to produce the directory and offer free listings to previous sponsors as a gesture of good will during hard times. Sponsors were offered the option to upgrade the size of their listing for an added cost. Not only were we surprised by the number of sponsors who upgraded, but we were also surprised to see some businesses even pay the $1,500 fee that the Home & Lifestyle Party would have usually cost them. Our partner and lead sponsor for all seven years of the Home & Lifestyle Party Russ Lyon, Sotheby's International Realty donated their traditional amount of $10,000, stating this was the year to protect the scholarship fund income. In total, $22,000 was raised.