Hempfield Foundation board member Carol Graham stated that she believes all local residents should be invested in the educational opportunities presented to Hempfield School District students.

Members of the community will have the chance to support the foundation's goals while enjoying a day on the links.

The annual Hempfield Foundation Golf Tournament will be held Friday, June 6, at Four Seasons Golf Club, 949 Church St., Landisville.

The cost will include green fees; use of a cart; in-tournament skills challenges; and an awards reception, which will be held at 5:30 p.m.

Preregistration is required and must be completed by Friday, May 30. Go to http://www.hempfieldfoundation.org to register or for additional information.

Participants should check in at noon and will be able to visit the driving range. A box lunch will be provided. There will be a shotgun start at 1 p.m. with a scramble format. Blue Collar Restaurant, Bar & Catering will provide the food.

There will be a chance to win prizes, and several holes will feature skills competitions. A Hempfield High School golfer will participate in a challenge on No. 12. Golfers can make a donation, and the student will hit an extra tee shot that their group can use on the hole.

Penn State Health is the Hempfield Foundation's Premier Community Partner and golf tournament title sponsor. All proceeds will benefit the Hempfield Foundation.

"It is important for everybody who lives in the district to understand that education affects everyone, whether you have children or not," said Graham, who is a retired Hempfield teacher. "To support the education of the students at Hempfield will benefit people in the long run."

During the current school year, the Hempfield Foundation has funded 30 grants totaling $62,681. The money has paid for numerous teacher initiatives, including improving foundational reading and literacy skills for the youngest Hempfield students and providing audiovisual equipment for classrooms, in addition to producing live feeds to stream concerts.

Hempfield Foundation grants have supplied support for grieving students and families, provided equipment to assist eighth-graders in Applied Technology classes, and funded translator earbuds and materials for ESL learners.

"The grants provide materials, learning opportunities, and experiences that make a Hempfield education unique, while the scholarships support our Hempfield graduates as they transition to higher education, technical training, and entrepreneurships," said Kate Mullen, who is the foundation's board secretary and golf tournament chair.

Graham touted the "broadness of our grant-giving," mentioning STEM, literature, music, and nature. "At Hempfield, we produce scientists," she said. "We produce artists. We produce writers. To support the teachers' initiatives and to give scholarships to students who otherwise would have trouble affording college is something that everyone should be proud of helping."

Graham said she saw a poster during Teacher Appreciation Week that she found especially salient. The poster read, "Teachers create every other job."

The golf tournament is one of the Hempfield Foundation's major fundraisers, but help is welcomed year-round. "If people don't want to golf, there are many other ways to support the foundation by donating or volunteering," said Graham. Volunteers are needed to work during the golf tournament and to help at events where the foundation has a presence, such as preview nights for school musicals and dance performances. Anyone interested in helping can email hempfieldfoundation@gmail.com.