By Staff
The Longleaf District (comprised of Escambia, Conecuh, Monroe, Covington, Butler, and Crenshaw counties) held its annual Log A Load For Kids golf and fishing tournament May 21 at the Country Club of Brewton, raising approximately $34,500 for Alabama Children's hospitals.
Log A Load For Kids is a statewide campaign sponsored by the Alabama Logger's Council and the Alabama Forestry Association. The goal is to unite loggers, landowners, foresters, wood product manufacturers, and local businesses in a common effort to benefit Alabama's critically ill, injured and abused children. The original idea of Log A Load For Kids was for loggers and others in the forest industry to donate the value logging a load of logs, about $300, to either the Children's Hospital of Alabama in Birmingham or the University of South Alabama Children's and Women's Hospital. Funds raised in Alabama stay in Alabama and 100% of each tax-deductible donation goes directly to the hospital designated by the donor. Administrative and support costs of the Log A Load For Kids program are covered by sponsors and do not come from funds donated to the hospitals. The program began in Alabama in 1992 and has disbursed almost $5,000,000 in support of the Children's Miracle Network hospitals in Alabama.
One hundred eight golfers, playing on 27 teams, participated in the tournament. Three places were awarded in two divisions - Low Gross and Low Net.
First place low gross was won by the USA Women's and Children's Hospital team with a score of 58. The team of Southern Pine Electrical Cooperative won second place low gross with a score of 59. Pioneer Electric Cooperative won third place low gross with a score of 60.
The Cooper Marine &Timberland team won first place low net with a score of 45.6. The Castleberry Logging Team #2 placed second with a low net with a score of 47.0. The Evergreen Medical Center team won third place low net with a score of 47.8.
Eight boats and 15 fisherman competed in the fishing tournament held in conjunction with the golf tournament at Juniper Lake. Largest bass was 6 pounds 2 ounces, caught by Daniel Garner of Bay Minette. The most bass caught by a team was won by the Baldwin Pole &Piling boat with a total weight of 6 pounds 7 ounces. The team was comprised of Daniel Garner and Ray Long.
The tournament was attended by representatives of the Children's Hospital in Birmingham, University of South Alabama Women's and Children's Hospital, Alabama Logger's Council, Alabama Forestry Association, and Janet Ison the Alabama Log A Load For Kids state chairperson. All were introduced to the crowd expressing their sincere appreciation to everyone involved in sponsoring the tournament benefiting Log A Load For Kids. John Swift, with Swift Lumber Company, provided his talents at cooking up and serving Conecuh Sausage which is always a big hit.
The benefit golf tournament was collectively sponsored by: Alaflora Forest Products, Baldwin Electric Membership Cooperative, Baldwin Pole &Piling, Bank of Evergreen, Castleberry Logging, Cedar Creek Land &Timber Company, Charles Dixon &Co. LLC, Conecuh Sausage, Connie Manufacturing, Inc., Cooper Marine, Covington Electric Cooperative, Country Club of Brewton, Davis Supply, D. W. McMillan Trust, Dogwood Hills, Easterling Brothers &Sons, Inc., Escambia Timber Co., Inc., Evergreen Medical Center, Inc., F. M. Nalty Land &Timber Company, First National Bank of Atmore, Fulghum Fibres, Inc., Georgia-Pacific LLP - Brewton Operations, Georgia-Pacific LLC - Wood &Fiber Supply, Gulf Electric Company, Harrigan Lumber Company, Hawkins, Rawlinson, &Lanier, Inc., Herrington Logging, Huxford Pole &Piling Co., J. R.'s Trucking, Kennedy Forest Products, Inc., Lenox General Store, Massey Automotive, McGowin Logging, Medical Center Pharmacy, Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Atmore, Pineville Timber Company, PowerSouth Energy Cooperative, QPS, Quina Charitable Trust, Resource Management Services, Inc., Reynolds's Forestry Service, Inc., South Alabama Vending, Southern Pine Electrical Cooperative, Special Touch, Swift Lumber Company, Swift Supply, T. R. Miller Mill Company, Thompson Logging, United Bank, University of South Alabama, Thompson, Garrett, &Hines, LLP, Touchstone Energy Partnership, Vulcan Insulation Company, LLC., Webb-Taylor Timber Company, and Ziebach &Webb Timber Company. There were many private individuals who also donated their time and money to make the event another success, but they are too numerous to mention here. Just know that that the kids across the state thank you from the bottom of their hearts for your continued support and efforts.
This was another splendid event that raised in excess of $34,500 for the kids in Alabama. For those of you who do not know, Log A Load For Kids has completed work on the pediatric intensive care work, bought new monitoring machines in conjunction with the recently acquired MRI and they have asked that for our next project we raise funds to purchase a third ambulance all for just the Children's Hospital in Mobile. At the Children's Hospital in Birmingham, we continue to direct our efforts to fund the CHIPS Center treating both physically and sexually abused children within the state. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who helped put this tournament on and especially to all of our sponsors whom without this would never happened.
Richard Quina Jr.
Log A Load For Kids
Long Leaf District chairman