Ranch Kiwanis Club tees off for East County student golfers

LAKEWOOD RANCH — Lakewood Ranch resident Julie Aranibar always has had an interest in learning how to play golf.

And now that her children are getting older, Aranibar is slowing beginning to have a little more time on her hands to focus on perfecting her swing.

“Now that I have bigger pieces of time (for myself), one of my goals is actually to learn the sport,” Aranibar said.

However, Aranibar has yet to actually make it out on the course. Instead the Kiwanis Club of Lakewood Ranch president, along with co-chair Nick Dzembo, has been busy preparing for the service organization’s annual golf tournament.

The Kiwanis Club Golf Tournament will tee off at 1:30 p.m., Sept. 24, at Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club, 7650 Legacy Blvd. The event is open to the entire community at a cost of $100 per player, which includes registration and lunch provided by Bonefish Grill.

“This should be a fun community event,” Aranibar said.

About 70 people are signed up for the event, but the club is expecting to have at least 100 registered participants by tee time.

“Our goal is to raise $10,000, so in $100 increments you can see how much work we have to do,” she added.

New to the tournament this year will be the addition of several high school golf teams, including Braden River, Lakewood Ranch and Southeast. All high school teams are invited to participate in the event. High school registration is $100 per team, which includes one coach and about four students selected by the coach.

The Kiwanis Club now is seeking sponsors for each of the high school teams to help reimburse student costs.

“This is the first time that we’ve ever included students,” Aranibar said. “Our No. 1 need right now is to get sponsors for the students. Our job is going out to this community to find a sponsor for every team to play. The students took care of their coaches and it’s our job take care of the students.”

All proceeds from the event will go toward the Kiwanis Club’s Charity Foundation, which supports organizations within East Manatee that are dedicated to serving children, including K-Kids at Braden River and McNeal elementary schools, the Kiwanis Builders Club at Nolan Middle School and the Key Club at Braden River High School, among other organizations.

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].
 
Kiwanis Club of Lakewood Ranch Golf Outing
WHEN: 1:30 p.m., Sept. 24. Registration begins at noon.
WHERE: Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club, 7650 Legacy Blvd.
COST: $100 per individual player or high school golf team
INFORMATION: Julie Aranibar, 705-1010 or [email protected]
WEB SITE: www.kiwanislwr.org