A Maine Golf Legacy

   It’s only a game, right?  Particularly at the amateur level, that’s an accurate comment about the ancient game of golf.  But for many of us it’s an important part of our recreational life.  It is a significant element of the balance one attempts to create along life’s journey.  Golf is wicked fun!

   In Maine, leisure golfers have done more than simply play a game.  They have created a legacy for the next generation to follow their footsteps along friendly fairways, or through the rough.

   Members of the Maine State Golf Association have established during the past several years an endowment of more than $500,000 for State of Maine youngsters to go to colleges and universities across the country!

   Currently more than 40 young men and women from Maine receive help with the costs of their education from the MSGA Scholarship Fund.

   We are now committed to the other half.  We invite your participation.  Please call us, or read below, to learn how easy it can be to create $1,000,000 for good kids from Maine!
 

In Maine it’s not just a game.

It’s a legacy. Become a part of it!

 
Ways to Give to the MSGA Scholarship Fund
 

        The easiest way – donate a portion of your MSGA winnings back to the Scholarship Fund. The donation is easily deducted from your MSGA account and you’ll be recognized as a contributor. Because your MSGA prize winngs are not considered income, donations from winnings are not tax deductible.

        Think of the MSGA Scholarship Fund while planning your charitable gifts every year. Donations to the fund are fully tax deductible. Monetary donations may be sent directly to the MSGA Office.

        Honor or remember your friends and relatives with a scholarship contribution given in their names. 

        Get a team for the Charlie’s Maine Open Pro Am, which is the largest single fundraiser held each year.

        For those of you to whom golf is very special, plan ahead and consider naming the MSGA Scholarship Fund in either your will or as the charity for whom you’d like donations to be made to on your passing. Or consider taking a life insurance policy and naming the fund as the benefactor. The contributions you make will ensure that you’re remembered for generations to come! And you’ll make a significant contribution to the future as well. For more information on charitable bequests, see below.

 
Charitable Bequest

            Unless you indicate in your Will that a specific part of your estate is to go to a favorite charity, it is unlikely to ever happen.  Without a Will, you’ll have no guarantee the heirs prescribed by law will follow through with your wishes.

            Here is some simple language when you visit your attorney to include in your new Will, or to add a codicil to your existing Will, that makes it easy to make a gift to the MSGA:

“I give and bequeath to the Maine State Golf Association the sum of $_________ to be used for its Scholarship Program.”

                                           (or…)
 

“I give, devise, and bequeath to the Maine State Golf Association for its general purposes all (or state a fraction or percentage) of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate, both real and personal.”

The History of the MSGA Scholarship Fund
 

The MSGA Scholarship Fund was started in 1950, originally as a caddie scholarship. It was expanded in the 1970s and an endowment fund was started. The goal of the endowment fund is to ensure the future of the Scholarship Fund by having it be self-supporting. The endowment fund has surpassed the original goal of nearly $500,000 raised. Now we'd like to push that goal to $1,000,000.

Each year, the MSGA holds three primary events to raise money for the Scholarship Fund. Although a portion of all revenue raised by the MSGA goes to help support scholarships, these are the only fundraisers that the MSGA conducts. As part of the MSGA’s operating budget every year, more than $76,000 is spent on the scholarship fund, and the MSGA assumes all costs for maintaining the fund (except for about $200 yearly in bank charges), and all other donations go directly to the endowment fund. The MSGA relies on the generosity of its donors and sponsors to help ensure the future of the fund, and we’re very excited that we are nearing the self-sustaining stages.
 

The MSGA Scholarship Committee reviews its criteria on a regular basis to ensure that the selection process is as objective as possible. The current criteria for the MSGA Scholarship are as follows:
 

1.      A candidate shall have shown an active interest in golf (i.e. participating as a player, as a caddie, and/or working at a golf shop or course).

2.      Candidates must establish their need for financial assistance to attend college.

3.      Candidates must be graduates or prospective graduates of an accredited secondary school, and legal residents of the state of Maine.

 4.      Candidates must be outstanding in character, integrity, and leadership as provided by participation in extra-curricular, civic and/or community activities.
 

Maine State Golf Association, Inc.
58 Val Halla Rd.
Cumberland, Maine 04021

Phone: 207-829-3549     Fax: 207-829-3584
Email: msga@mesga.org

Web site : www.mesga.org