Golfers who want to help their local first responders can hit the links for a good cause next Friday at Quail Hollow Golf Course.
MS-Adopt a Hero will hold its third annual golf tournament, with proceeds going to buy protective gear for law officers, firefighters and emergency medical responders.
The four-person scramble is open to the public. Registration is $100 each, and golfers will tee off alongside first responders, who play for free.
Lunch and registration will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Any first responders who don’t want to play but want to drop by on their break any time before 6 p.m. will receive a free meal courtesy of Summit Piggly Wiggly owner Wayne Vinson.
Beverages will be provided. The tournament will be rescheduled in case of bad weather.
Prizes will be awarded for holes-in-one, closest to the pin, longest drive and the top three teams.
MS-Adopt a Hero president Jamie Stone said now that people see their money goes right into their community’s patrol cars and fire stations, the organization is gaining traction.
“This year raising the money has been a lot easier,” he said. “People are ready to go and are donating. They’ve gotten to know us over the last few years. They know they’re part of something that is helping.”
Adopt a Hero raised around $50,000 over the past two years. Stone guesses that would be $70,000 by now if the coronavirus pandemic hadn’t slowed their start this year.
The Hero Dash obstacle course race that Adopt a Hero hosted last year was set to run again this May but had to be canceled.
Stone plans to bring it back next year and to eventually add a third event to Adopt a Hero’s yearly slate.
The group’s events try to give responders a relaxing day off. “They’re out there laughing it up having a good time. I just love being around them,” Stone said.
Adopt a Hero exists not only to show appreciation for the people who risk their lives for their community, but also to help them get what they need to do their jobs.
“In many ways, they’re not being treated fairly right now. I don’t think people think it through that these guys are shot at and killed. That’s why we’re ‘Adopt a Hero,’ because they should be heroes,” Stone said.
Some of the equipment covers basic needs, like a $10,000 washing machine for the fire station on Parklane Road. Firefighters told Stone that grime and bacteria build up quickly in turnout gear and can make firefighters sick.
“They had this one small washing machine, and everybody was having to go to this one location to clean their equipment,” Stone said. “We bought a much newer, bigger one. We know that’s helping literally keep them healthy.”
Other tools Adopt a Hero has bought for responders are outer carrier vests for McComb police, active shooter bags for Mississippi Highway Patrol, a defibrillator for EMRs and gloves for Pike County Sheriff’s Office.
Someone from the sheriff’s office showed Stone a cut on his glove, proof it had enabled him to grab a knife from a woman who was trying to kill herself.
“I gave some gloves to the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics,” Stone said. “They said, ‘Man, you don’t realize all these nasty vehicles we have to search and have to run our hands all through, and there’s no telling what could happen.”
“Those are the kinds of things we’re buying, and they really appreciate it,” he said.
Tournament registrations and information on sponsorships and donations are available at www.msadoptahero.com, by calling Jake Burris at 601-248-7475 or Jamie Stone at 601-248-7156, or by emailing ms.adoptahero@gmail.com.
