The Houston CPA Society has rescheduled its 20th Annual Golf Classic and auction benefitting Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Texas Gulf Coast and Louisiana, (Museum District) for Nov. 16, after a downpour rained out the original event on Oct. 26. The rescheduled event will be at Sweetwater Country Club, 4400 Palm Royale Blvd., Sugar Land, with registration for the Florida scramble format beginning at 9:30 a.m., followed by lunch, and a shotgun start at noon. The auction dinner begins at 5 p.m.
Houston Astros’ hitting coach Sean Berry has reconfirmed he will help the Houston CPA Society as celebrity host. The event will be held in memory of Wish Child DeAndre who lost his battle with cancer a few weeks ago.
An emerald-cut three-diamond ring with a center stone of more than one karat and a 1966 turquoise Thunderbird coupe have been donated for the live auction that follows the golfing. Numerous other items will be available in the silent auction.
The tournament is limited to 288 amateur players, but spots are available. Player spots begin at $250 and the auction dinner tickets are $40 for those not playing golf. Sponsor packages begin with autographed pin flags at $500, though smaller donations are accepted. For tournament information, call 713-622-7733.
“Contributions to Make-A-Wish are down 20% this year in the current economy and so far the CPAs have raised $113,400 toward our goal of $200, 000,” said William J. McGinnis, CPA, Spring Branch, chairman of the Society’s Annual Golf Classic Committee and controller for Swanberg, USA. Last year, the Houston CPA Society was the largest donor to the local Make-a-Wish organization, funding 350-400 wishes. Make-A-Wish grants wishes to children under 18 with life-threatening medical conditions. The cost of the average wish is $6,000, and no wish is less than $1,000.
The Sam & Ada Petro Foundation is returning as the underwriting sponsor of the tournament. “The Foundation has generously agreed to cover the expenses of the tournament, so that all sponsorships and donations will support Make-A-Wish directly,” McGinnis said.
Among the larger sponsors to date are Continental Airlines, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Larry Reimert, Administaff, Ernst & Young LLP, Houston Casualty/HCC Holdings, T.F. Hudgins, Inc. Fox 26 TV is the electronic media sponsor.
This golf tourney has netted more than $2 million for Make-A-Wish over the past 19 years, including $176,500 in the 2008 effort.
Sean Berry is finishing his fourth season as the Astros’ hitting coach. A veteran of 12 Major League seasons, Berry returned to the Astros organization in 2003 and spent two seasons on the Double A Round Rock coaching staff. During three seasons as the Astros third baseman from 1996-98, he hit .283 with 39 home runs and 190 RBI (Runs batted in).
The Houston CPA Society is the largest chapter of the Texas Society of CPAs and the third largest CPA Chapter in the United States with more than 8,600 CPA members in Houston and 13 surrounding counties. In addition to providing continuing professional education to its members, the 81-year-old Houston CPA Society has donated millions of dollars to charities through its charity events and golf tournaments. The Society delivers toys and books to 6,600 children each year through Santa CPAs. Each spring, the Houston CPAs provide free tax help to international students. They provide ongoing help to more than 30 other nonprofit organizations by lending skills to charity auctions and providing accounting advice to other nonprofit organizations. For more information about the Houston CPA Society, log on to the web site at www.HoustonCPA.org.