HMSHost Foundation recently celebrated its second anniversary by hosting its annual Invitational Golf Classic at the Reunion Resort and Club. The tournament raised over $200,000; funds that will be deployed to support North American charities that are at the forefront of the fight against poverty.

“As we wrap up the second full year for HMSHost Foundation, it is with great joy that we reflect on the positive impacts that have been made in communities where HMSHost Corporation operates all over North America,” said HMSHost Foundation President Paul Mamalian. “We’ve built great momentum and are very excited to continue to become even more impactful in 2018.”

The tournament, with title sponsor AB InBev, welcomed 310 registered golfers, bringing numerous HMSHost partners together for two fun-filled days of golfing and fundraising activities. Classic golf challenges like hole-in-one contests may have bested the sporting talents of the group, but the generosity of donors is what shined through. For example, a silent auction was an event highlight that generated significant contributions that can now be put toward HMSHost Foundation’s mission to fight poverty in local communities with food,
shelter, education, and workforce development.

The anniversary celebration kicked off with a reception the evening before the tournament, where guests learned of the real-life impact being made by HMSHost Foundation. In attendance was Grace-Mar Services, a Charlotte, North Carolina-based not-for-profit that HMSHost Foundation made a $20,000 grant to in June. Leslie Faulkner, a beneficiary of Grace-Mar Services, who became an HMSHost associate at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, shared her brave story with the crowd, offering details of how she took control of her life with the help of Grace-Mar’s job placement program.

Organizations in Florida that will benefit as a result of the tournament fundraising include Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida in Orlando; Orlando Rescue Mission; and The First Tee in Tampa Bay.
HMSHost Foundation’s impact continues to grow and the organization experienced a surge of activity in 2017 with a flurry of grant-making action, as well as activations spurred by recent natural disasters. Since its establishment in 2015, the foundation has made grants to more than 40 poverty-fighting organizations across the U.S. and Canada.