Twenty -Seventeen Jake Gaither and Edwina Stephens community leaders golf tournament
Special to the Outlook
The Jake Gaither Memorial House Foundation, (JGMHF) Inc., and the Smith-Williams Service Center Foundation (SWSCF), Inc., have partnered for the second year to host the Annual Jake Gaither and Edwina Stephens Community Leaders Golf Tournament. The tournament is scheduled for Friday, August 25, 2017 at 8:00 a.m. in honor of the late community leaders Jake Gaither and Edwina Stephens.
The proceeds from the Community Leaders Golf Tournament will be used to:
•Support activities that promote health, education, culture and technology for youth, adults and seniors at the Smith Williams Service Center.
•Restore and maintain the Jake Gaither Memorial House as a historic site, museum, and community center.
•Provide scholarships for deserving students through the FAMU Athletic Department.
The legendary Florida A&M University (FAMU) and Hall of Fame coach, Alonzo “Jake” Gaither, is honored as one of college football’s all-time winning coaches. Jake Gaither’s career at FAMU spanned 1937-1973, with 24 years (1945-1969) as head football coach. He held one of the best records in the history of American college football with 203 wins, 36 losses, and 4 ties. He was a coach, teacher, mentor, father figure, and friend to his players and students. Using sports to champion civil rights, Mr. Gaither advised state and local leaders on racial matters. Today, the Jake Gaither Memorial House Foundation raises funds to preserve the home of the late Jake Gaither and his wife, Sadie as a museum to be enjoyed by the Tallahassee community.
Edwina Stephens is honored for the legacy she left with the Tallahassee Community because of her influence as an activist who touched people’s lives for over 50 years. While working in the health care industry as a nurse, Mrs. Stephens pioneered great changes in local health care at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, Florida A&M University and its Student Health Services. She successfully campaigned against cases of environmental disenfranchisement and fought inequality of neighborhood services in underserved communities. Mrs. Stephens’ political grit and organizational skills fostered enduring relationships between the government, media, and community. She was also a historian but Mrs. Stephens was best known as a builder of partnerships and coalitions. One of the community partners that she enjoyed working with was the Smith-Williams Service Center Foundation Board.
The Community Leaders Golf Tournament will be held at the Hilaman Golf Course located at 2737 Blair Stone Road in Tallahassee. The golf tournament check-in and onsite registration will begin at 7:00 a.m. and the shotgun start at 8:00 a.m. Tournament registration is available online at www.jakegaitherhouse.org/jgh-golf-tourney-aug-2017.
For more information about the golf tournament, contact Cornelius Jones at cdjomega@gmail.com or Sylvia Wright at wrightsylvia197@yahoo.com.
