Freezin’ for a Reason raises money for Olney causes

Stout-hearted participants in the 11th Annual Freezin for a Reason Golf Tournament teed off in frigid temperatures at the Olney Country Club on Feb. 11, enjoying a day of sunshine, food and music, and in the process raising money for scholarships and to address need in the community.

The day kicked off with the golf tournament followed by a supper of pulled pork sandwiches and a dance headlined by Wichita Falls singer Bailey Swaydan and featuring Casey Keeter and Kevin Bullock of Olney. Organizers Kalynn Philipp and her aunt Susan McElroy managed a silent auction while Olney Recreation Association President Landon Rowe and Clayton McElroy manned the barbecue during the tournament.

“Today we have 25 teams and this is probably the largest silent auction we have had,” Mrs. Philipp said. “People think of a golf tournament and think it’s just golf but we always have a dinner and we always have a dance and that is open to all. The silent auction is posted on Facebook and so people who can’t make it can watch and bid online. Anybody can donate anything. Anything is appreciated.”

The tournament caps a year of fundraising, mostly centered around Olney Independent School District, that included $10 “jeans days” for teachers, football squares and a raffle for a chance to kick a field goal at halftime at a Cubs game, Mrs. Philipp, a fifth-grade teacher, said.

The event began as a fundraiser for an OISD teacher suffering from cancer, Mrs. McElroy said. Funds raised the first year were donated to the American Cancer Society, a decision they ultimately regretted. “We had a teacher and a woman who worked at the post office and [the American Cancer Society] didn’t help either one of them,” she said. “So we thought instead of giving it to the organization that we would just keep it and that way would could give money where we saw fit. That’s how it started.”

A team consisting of Rick Davis, Jill Davis, Steve Fikes and Darla Fikes won this year’s tournament, and Shane Mallory of Newcastle won the “closest to the pin” contest, as well as the satisfaction of helping raise funds that will go to students, teachers and community members or groups – such as the Senior Cub Center or Olney Community Library and Arts Center – who have a need, and to scholarships for graduating seniors, said Mrs. McElroy, a retired first-grade teacher.