The U.S. Oil Open sets all-time fundraising high for Open’s 25th anniversary
The U.S. Oil Open raised an all-time high from the one day golf outing of $2,217,800, funds earmarked for the Fund For Basic Needs. The amount is $765,800 more than was raised in 2009 and breaks all records to date. In the 25-year history of the U.S. Oil Open, $12.6 million has been raised to fight the root causes of poverty through Northeast Wisconsin; dollars are granted to non-profit organizations through community foundations in Green Bay, Oshkosh and the Fox Valley.
Open organizer Sarah Schmidt said the local community and some special guests combined to make the charitable fundraiser an overwhelming success. “It is so humbling to think that we can make such a powerful difference for people in need right here in our communities,” Schmidt said. “This is testament to the impact we have as individuals and organizations to end the root causes of poverty right here at home.”
Schmidt acknowledged event guests Arnold Palmer and Nancy Lopez were draws for golfers and thanked them for items they donated for the charity auction. “We raised significant funds from the auction alone and that money is going to make a difference in the programs we’re able to fund through our grant making.”
This year is the 25th anniversary of the charitable event started by Bill Schmidt, Chairman Emeritus of U.S. Oil Co., Inc (the company is currently known as U.S. Venture, Inc.). The event started with 100 golfers and has grown to 750 golfers and more than 300 corporate, family and foundation partners. “I don’t know if an event of this magnitude could happen in New York or Chicago, but I tell you, we can make it happen right here in Wisconsin because we all work together for those who need help,” Schmidt said.
The U.S. Oil Open held Wednesday, August 11, is Northeast Wisconsin’s single largest one-day charitable event dedicated to fighting poverty. Five local golf courses staffed by more than 100 volunteers hosted the event. Appleton-based U.S. Venture, Inc. hosts the event by paying all event expenses so that all funds generated through event sponsorships and donations go to the U.S. Oil Open Fund for Basic Needs, a fund established within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region, the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation and the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation. Grants are made to non-profit organizations in the communities of the Fox Valley and Green Bay and more recently Oshkosh.
The U.S. Oil Open Fund for Basic Needs has paved the way for collaboration between funders and non-profit organizations passionate about fighting poverty in Northeast Wisconsin. The Basic Needs Giving Partnership was launched in 2008 when the J. J. Keller Foundation decided to match the grant making budget of the U.S. Oil Open Fund for Basic Needs. Since that time, the Basic Needs Giving Partnership granted more than $2 million to non-profits getting to the root causes of poverty.
In Fiscal year 2010, the Basic Needs Giving Partnership made nearly $1.1 Million in grants to dozens of charitable organizations, impacting more than 40,000 people in need within Northeast Wisconsin. Funding is concentrated in organizations that address basic needs for children, working families, seniors and chronic health problems
As the host of the U.S. Oil Open, U.S. Venture, Inc. pays for all the expenses of the event. This means that every dollar contributed by sponsors and participants goes directly to the Community Foundations for the Fox Valley, Green Bay and Oshkosh regions. Funds are then managed by advisory committees at each of the Community Foundations, with approximately 10 percent of the fund balance being given to non-profit organizations in grants annually.