The Board of Directors for Sozo Children will hold its annual charity golf event at the Greystone Legacy course on Wednesday, Oct. 4.
The 11th Annual Sozo Golf Tournament will raise funds and awareness for the ministry of Birmingham-based Sozo Children.
“The Sozo Golf Tournament is a great way for local companies to impact lives around the world. It’s amazing to think a day on a golf course in Alabama can change lives 7000 miles away in Uganda,” said Board member Tommy Schrock of R J Mechanical. “I have had several company owners share with me what a joy it is to get to sponsor an event whose cause goes a lot farther than most other opportunities in the area.”
Sozo began in 2010 when the new ministry rescued 17 children from a children’s home that had been abandoned and was being closed by local officials. Now in its 13th year, the ministry operates Sozo Village, a 28-acre community which has grown to serve more than 150 children—providing housing, medical care, education, and more. Sozo Children also leads Kid’s Club—a twice-weekly Bible club for Ugandan children living around the village. As many as 400 children, some of whom walk miles to attend, share a meal and devotional time each week during Kid’s Club.
“Our name came from scripture. Sozo means ‘to save or rescue’ in Greek but it is more than a word, it is our purpose, our calling,” CEO Suzanne Owens said. Children served by Sozo come to the ministry from situations of extreme generational poverty, abuse, neglect and often have been rescued from human trafficking situations.
“The Bible tells us to provide for widows and orphans. The golf tournament is a great way for local business leaders to spend a day in fellowship and provide for the needs of people rescued from desperate situations,” Owens said. “Although we are not an orphanage, many of our children have lost parents or worse, they’ve been abandoned by parents who were supposed to care for them,” she added.
For me and my family sponsoring a child has become one of our family's greatest joys as we have gotten to build close relationships with these children,” Schrock said. “There are so many ways businesses can get involved with this ministry. You can host volunteer days, match donations from employees and you can even make corporate gifts. A company of any size can have an international impact and, more importantly, an eternal impact from right here in Alabama. All it takes is a willing heart,” Schrock added.
Tournament participants will play in a scramble format with a shotgun start at 11:00 a.m. with prizes and hors d'oeuvres to follow. For more information on the tournament, including corporate sponsor information, visit www.sozochildren.org/bhamgolf.
-Submitted by Terry Schrimscher
