Golf tournament will honor late sheriff
By John Joyce
Published in News on July 26, 2015 1:50 AM
A golf tournament scheduled for Sept. 16 at the Lane Tree Golf Course in Goldsboro will honor the late Wayne County Sheriff Carey A. Winders.
A banquet will be held the Friday before the tournament -- Sept. 11 -- honoring area first responders and remembering those who sacrificed their lives on 9/11.
Winders, 57, passed away suddenly in January 2014 shortly after announcing he was to run for what would have been his final term as sheriff -- a post he had held since 1994.
Winders' widow, Teresa, said she came up with the idea not long after her husband's passing -- but that she needed time to grieve before she could go through with it.
Thursday night, however, a committee of family members, citizens and Sheriff's Office employees officially got the ball rolling on what will be the First Annual Sheriff Carey A. Winders Golf Tournament.
"I don't want people to forget him," Mrs. Winders said. "He had a tremendous and loving heart."
Winders helped a great number of people throughout his time in office, many of whom never knew it was he who had helped them, Mrs. Winders said. It is in keeping with that tradition of giving that she decided to start a college scholarship fund in her husband's name.
And what better way to raise money for the fund than a golf tournament, she thought.
The tournament will begin at 9 a.m. at the Lane Tree Golf Course, 2317 Salem Church Road, and continue until the last putt sinks on the 18th hole.
If enough teams register, there will be two flights, a morning run and an afternoon run, Mrs. Winders said.
"He held golf tournaments in the past. A lot of times he used the funds to help organizations in the community," Mrs. Winders said.
The scholarship fund will provide tuition for area students wishing to attend Wayne Community College.
She said her husband was never afforded the opportunity to go to college as young man.
"His father died when Carey was very young. And he had to go to work at an early age to help support the family," she said.
The tournament will consist of four-man teams at an entrance fee of $200 per team. Tickets to the banquet -- The First Responders Appreciation Banquet -- will sell for $25 per person.
"We wanted to call it the First Responders Appreciation Banquet because of they way things are with law enforcement. It seems law enforcement, they're having a tough time right now," Mrs. Winders said.
In addition to the current negative view many in the public might have of law enforcement, the banquet date coincidentally falls on the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
"With it being 9/11, we want to honor the first responders who lost their lives. And law enforcement officers are first responders, too," she said.
Sponsors for the golf tournament are still being sought. Sponsorship levels are in place so organizations can support the event at a tier of their choosing -- Bronze, $100; Silver, $250; Gold, $500; Platinum, $1,000; and Hero, $2,500.
Both a silent auction and a live auction will be held after the banquet to help draw further support for the scholarship fund. Sponsors and members of the public are free to donate items for auction, to make monetary donations to the scholarship fund and to register their own team to play in the tournament. A deadline to register has not yet been set in stone, but entries will likely be cut off a week or so prior to the tournament, Mrs. Winders said.
For sponsorship information, to register to play or to donate to the auction or scholarship fund, contact Lane Tree director Mike Kelly at 919-734-1245, ext. 23.