wellington | gives
Wycliffe Charities Foundation Brings Neighborhood Together To Support Others In Need Story by Deborah Welky • Photos By Julie Unger
The Wycliffe Golf & Country Club is a gated community and, as such, its residents are a tight-knit group. They watch out for each other, lend a helping hand and work for the betterment of their community. Through a group called the Wycliffe Charities Foundation, they also reach beyond their gates to help those in need by raising money to support nonprofit organizations that provide health or educational services in Palm Beach County. Wycliffe Charities has no paid staff, yet has raised and distributed $1.4 million since its inception in 1996. In 2014 alone, $125,000 was divvied up among 18 different nonprofits. Marge Goldner is the president of this dedicated group of resident volunteers. “‘Service is the price you pay for the space you occupy’ — that’s what my daddy taught me,” Goldner said. “The amazing thing is that, in the giving, you get more than you gave.” Organizations that have benefited from Wycliffe Charities over the years include the Quantum House; Grandma’s Place; Horses Healing Hearts; the Caridad Center; HomeSafe; Speak Up For Kids; Faith, Hope, Love and Charity; Families First; Clinics Can Help; Hospice of Palm Beach County and more. “We try very hard to help a variety of groups,” Goldner explained. “We limit ourselves to Palm Beach County,
however. There are other organizations that handle the others. We want to help some of those who don’t get so much attention.” Wycliffe Charities collects paper products, art supplies, toddler underwear, pajamas, dish towels or whatever else a nonprofit needs, but often donations are made in the form of cash. In order to earn it, several fundraisers are conducted each year. In December, it’s the “Tour de Wycliffe” bike/walk, complete with a 3K race, 6K race, entry fees and corporate sponsors. Staged in conjunction with the Wycliffe Fitness Department in 2014, some groups cycled up to 16 miles — beginning and ending at the Wycliffe clubhouse. On Feb. 7, it was the “Great Charity Challenge” at the Winter Equestrian Festival. And on March 9, it’s the big one — Wycliffe Charities’ 17th annual golf tournament. “We really knock ourselves out for that,” Goldner smiled. “Not only do our residents participate, but many of the vendors who supply goods and services to the Wycliffe Golf & Country Club come as well. Whatever we raise, we distribute.” Money is raised in a number of in-
teresting ways. “We have flags on the green to commemorate a happy event or a memorial. We have banners, a holein-one contest, and, this year, a gentleman is coming who will shoot your golf ball through an air gun 300 yards to the green. For an extra fee, you can get your golf ball blown to the green,” Goldner said. “At the golf tournament luncheon, there are no fancy flowers or balloons. The children served by some of the agencies we support make our centerpieces. They are tickled to do it; they like to ‘give back,’ too. This year, at least nine of the charities are making three centerpieces each. Last year, the kids from the Quantum House made ‘lollipots’ for the tables. They were darling.” This year, Wycliffe Charities was nominated by one of the groups they serve, the Children’s Home Society, to receive the Dave Thomas and E. Lorraine Thomas Foundation’s Child Advocate Award. “That was really lovely, and we hope it will become an inspiration to other groups in the community,” Goldner said. “We want to give back to the community we live in and help in any way that we can. It’s very important in any population.” In addition to always seeking out more nonprofits to help, Wycliffe Charities is also on the lookout for more volunteers. “We’re always trying to attract more and more of the people who live in the
wellington the magazine | march 2015
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