By Madeline Zuckerman
PHOTOS BY LAURA HALL
What a glorious day it was on the links as Xavier College Preparatory High School hosted its highly-anticipated 15th Annual Fairway to Heaven Golf Tournament at The Classic Club in Palm Desert on February 2. Alexis Mullinix, Event Chair, was assisted by Co-chairs Margaret Stenmoen, Chloe Folena, Laura Hall and Reggie Rover.
This year’s Golf Tournament raised just under $50,000, being one of the school’s primary fundraisers for the Athletics Department. These funds will be utilized for the school’s future competition field improvements, such as field lighting and seating. Xavier Prep is also actively pursuing anyone from the community-at-large who might have an interest in helping the school complete its new stadium.
“Funds raised at this year’s tournament will allow us to finish our front track and field stadium with lights and bleachers,” said Andrew Clark, Xavier’s Director of Athletics. “And, for the first time, it was exciting to see a record number of students playing and participating in this year’s event. Our Annual Pasta Dinner and this Annual Golf Tournament is where the school raises most of the funds to support our Athletic Programs. These funds help pay for referees, travel, equipment needs, etc. We have found the kids that attend our school may need this support. To be able to do what we do is completely the will of God. At the end of the day, we don’t expect these young people to be perfect, but we are going to do our very best to help them to shape their decisions.”
This year’s theme, Club’s N’ Roses, hosted a full field of 144 players. Registration began at 9:30 AM, followed by an 11:30 AM shotgun start, and concluded with a fun cocktail party for 175 guests, featuring a Silent Auction and Awards Ceremony.
The camaraderie of all guests was evident all day long, with many of these same golfers, as well as Corporate Sponsors returning year after year to play the renowned Classic Club course.
“Xavier College Prep started as a dream 18 years ago, with some parents who had aspirations for their kids to attend a Catholic High School in the desert,” said Mark Campbell, President of Xavier. “The commitment by those parents over the years has allowed Xavier to achieve what we have accomplished today. We continue to thrive and be the premier educational institution within the Coachella Valley. I believe we set the bar for what education should look like. When our students arrive on campus, they feel seen, heard, and valued. We understand that we have the responsibility to continue to push the bar because the other schools need to catch up. I am really proud of the work we do and with whom we serve. The folks that attend Xavier and work at Xavier are family. Many of our graduating parents still come out to support Xavier at this annual golf tournament, long after many of their children have graduated from the school.”
Event Sponsors included 1st Bank, McDonald’s, La Quinta Brewing, Craig Conley, Able’s memory, Ocean Mist, Vintage Landscaping, Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians, the De Klotz Family, Chavez Buick GMC, Foster-Gardner, Patrick Lizza UBS Financial Institution, Coachella Valley Orthodontics, Palm Springs Motors, Xpress Graphics, Modern Times, JuneShine, and BuzzBox.
“We have sponsored this event every year,” said Scott Simmers, General Manager of Palm Springs Motors. “My son Jay was on the Xavier Golf Team for three years where he played Varsity Golf. He had such a good experience at the school. He has graduated from college, and is now a realtor here in the Coachella Valley. We have always sponsored and helped out Xavier College Prep because in the beginning Xavier didn’t have a transportation program, so we donated vans to the school.”
“Funds raised at this year’s Tournament will allow us to finish our front Track and Field Stadium with lights and bleachers,” said Andrew Clark, Xavier’s Director of Athletics. And, for the first time, we had a record number of students playing and participating in this year’s Tournament. Our Annual Pasta Dinner and this Golf Tournament is where Xavier raises most of our funds to support our Athletic Programs. These funds raised help pay for referees, travel, equipment needs, etc. We have found the kids that attend our school may need this support. To be able to do what we do is completely the will of God. At the end of the day, we don’t expect these young people to be perfect, but we are going to do our very best to help them to shape their decisions.”
Xavier hosts annually three key fundraising events that the community and local businesses can get involved in and support, including their Annual Pasta Dinner, Annual Golf Tournament, and Companions Dinner. The school will host their upcoming Companions Dinner on March 16, 2024.
For information on Xavier College Preparatory High School please call 760-
Or visit www.xavierprep.org
