Giving back in the Big Easy

Some golf industry professionals making the trip to New Orleans next month for the Golf Industry Show will leave a part of themselves behind. The partnering associations of the Golf Industry Show – the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, the National Golf Course Owners Association and the Club Managers Association of America – are working with Habitat for Humanity to host a series of special work days before the trade show opens to help build homes in some of New Orleans’ most devastated areas.

New Orleans was to be the site of the 2006 Golf Industry Show, but the tragic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in September 2005 prevented the show from being held there. (It was moved to Atlanta).

“We’ve long discussed tying this event to some sort of philanthropy,” says Jeff Bollig, director of communications for the GCSAA, one of the hosting associations of the Golf Industry Show.

Other golf-related associations, such as PGA of America and LPGA, are known for giving back in cities where their events are hosted, Bollig says.

“We knew we’d be back in New Orleans after we cancelled in 2006,” he says. “We worked with Habitat for Humanity, and it seemed like a win-win for everybody.”

Volunteers have been coming out en force to help rebuild the area since Hurricane Katrina caused extensive damage. In 2008, 84 families received homes through the Habitat for Humanity program. The average number of homes built annually pre-Katrina was 10 to 12, according to the New Orleans branch of Habitat for Humanity. The organization’s branch welcomed more than 24,000 volunteers, accounting for more than 164,000 volunteer hours last year.

Crews from the hosting associations will work Tuesday, Feb. 3, and Wednesday, Feb. 4, from 7:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.

“We looked at the schedule and saw how we could do it at a workable level,” Bollig says.

Volunteers will be placed in teams of 15 to work on homes within a particular area. The Golf Industry Show will provide transportation from the New Orleans Morial Convention Center, lunch at the work sites, and outdoor necessities such as water and sunscreen. Project t-shirts also will be provided.

It isn’t necessary to have construction experience to participate, but each group is limited to a certain number of volunteers, Bollig says. Equipment and supplies are provided.

To participate, sign up through any of the education conferences presented by the GCSAA, NGCOA or CMAA. A $25 registration fee will be charged. GCSAA members are eligible for .15 service points per day for their participation.

Those who aren’t able to volunteer still will be able to get a look at the project. A slide show of the work days will be shown in the New Orleans networking park (booth 207) during trade show hours, and a New Orleans area Habitat for Humanity representative will be onsite to collect additional donations.

For more information, visit http://www.golfindustryshow.com/2009/buildahouse.asp or www.habitat-nola.org.