By Bill Foley

ELLWOOD CITY — The Butler County Community College Education Foundation, which assists “students from all walks of life,” according to its executive director, raised $108,000 on Aug. 4 during a golf outing supported by 41 sponsors and a record 128 players.

Golfers on 32 teams competed in the 28th outing that benefits the BC3 Education Foundation, which helps students such as those facing food insecurity, seeking a commonwealth secondary school diploma or recovering from opioid addiction.

The BC3 Education Foundation also helps to finance scholarships for BC3 students, training for first responders, programs for pupils in grades 4 to 12 and other initiatives, said Megan Coval, executive director of the foundation and external relations.

Rob Rentz, Cody Slater, Jake Grumski and Nelson Johnson, representing the Alliance for Nonprofit Resources, Butler, shot a 15-under 55 in the scramble-format outing at Olde Stonewall Golf Club and won the BC3 Education Foundation Champions Cup by two strokes.

Proceeds in 2023 brought to more than $1.4 million the amount raised from the outing since 1996.

“People just love BC3, and they support us in so many ways,” said Dr. Nick Neupauer, BC3’s president. “And this is certainly an example, not only in the amount of money that we have raised, but in the number of years that we have been doing this outing.”

Jonathan Hudson, Zach Lenhart, Wayne Thompson and Keith Lorenz, representing UPMC Horizon Community Health Foundation, Farrell, finished second with a 13-under 57; and Daryl Patten, Gene Rodgers, Bill Weeks Jr. and Bill Weeks, Fort Pitt Capital, Pittsburgh, third with a 12-under 58.

“There are so many ways in which the foundation helps our students,” Coval said. “We assist students from all walks of life, from traditional students to those who are in recovery to those who are coming into college a little bit later in life.

“Our golfers and sponsors play the very important role of helping us ensure we have adequate funding to support BC3 students in a wide variety of ways that go well beyond scholarships.”

Closest-to-the-pin winners were Ryan Welch, Butler Technologies, Butler, on No. 5 at 8 feet, 5 inches; Mark Smirniw, FNB Wealth Management, Butler, on No. 7 at 2 feet; Bryan Waldorf, Magna5, Pittsburgh, on No. 14 at 6 feet, 6 inches; and Tim Barr, AGR, Meridian, on No. 15, distance unavailable.

Courtney Houtz, Butler Technologies, had the longest drive on No. 10 among women and Slater among men.

Patten had the longest putt on No. 18 and Lenhart won the BC3 Education Foundation’s first post-event putting contest.

The BC3 Education Foundation awarded to BC3 students a record $281,000 in named scholarships and funded the tuition for 25 presidential scholars in 2022-23, said Lynn Ismail, the foundation’s assistant director and its financial manager.

“Sponsoring events like this helps to subsidize education,” Lenhart said. “It allows us to keep local talent, helps folks pay for college and keep them in our counties.”

It also funded 337 BC3 public safety training classes for 138 volunteer firefighters from 27 Butler County fire companies in 2022, said Bobbi Jo Cornetti, the foundation’s development coordinator.

The foundation also reimbursed tuition for Butler County volunteer firefighters seeking emergency medical services or emergency medical technician certifications in 2022, Cornetti said.

The BC3 Education Foundation Champions Cup is a 27-inch-high trophy mirroring the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup. Kelly and John Giles, owners of Butler Business Systems, Butler, donated the cup to the foundation in 2019. Kelly Giles is one of 18 members or ex-officio members of the foundation board.

The team that finished in seventh place during the golf outing was also recognized to reflect the nearly $7 million in private funds contributed to the BC3 Education Foundation toward the construction of the state-of-the-art Victor K. Phillips Nursing and Allied Health Building on BC3’s main campus.

Brian Fritz, Mike Franko, Doug Frost and Brian Berry, Independence Health System, Butler, finished seventh.

Bill Foley is coordinator of news and media content for Butler County Community College