Meta House and Milwaukee Rescue Mission each won more than $9,000 from the second annual First Business Golf Invitational for Charity, held July 27 at Westmoor Country Club in Brookfield.
The outing, organized and underwritten by First Business Bank-Milwaukee, brought together close to 40 area business executives to compete on the golf course for the benefit of area nonprofit organizations.
Golf teams – 20 total – selected a nonprofit organization to represent on the course from a pool of nonprofit organizations First Business Bank had assembled. The bank wanted to ensure that the organizations that walked away with funds from the outing were based in the region and were both “dynamic” and “viable,” said Dave Vetta, president and chief executive officer of First Business Bank-Milwaukee.
The victories of the top-performing golfers transferred into donations to their chosen nonprofits. With a tie between two teams, two nonprofits took home funds – $9,250 each.
Mary Wendt, of Motive Equipment, and Greg Schultheis, of Westmoor Country Club, played for Meta House. That team leveled with John Beagle and Tim Oleszczuk, both of Grace Matthews, Inc., competed for Milwaukee Rescue Mission.
Meta House, a Milwaukee-based nonprofit, helps women overcome and recover from substance abuse while Milwaukee Rescue Mission serves area homeless residents with food, shelter, education and other basic needs.
Funds distributed to both organizations will benefit their program offerings.
“We are so grateful that First Business acknowledges the great need that exists in our community and commend them for making an impact on Meta House and other worthy causes with this opportunity,” Amy Lindner, president and CEO of Meta House, said in a press release.
First Business Bank plans to continue the charity golf invitational as an annual event in southeastern Wisconsin in the future.
The First Business Invitational started in 2011 in the Madison market and, since continuing in Madison and launching in southeastern Wisconsin, has given more than $210,000 to deserving nonprofits.
“We want to leverage our impact,” Vetta said of the event. “And we think this is a great forum and event with the people who were there to do just that.”
BizTimes Media served as the media partner of this year’s local invitational.
