By Brigette Rambadt

Executive Director, A.P.E.  Foundation

Making a “Birdie” is a thing to celebrate.

That’s just one fact I learned at the 17th Annual Packer Classic Golf Tournament, organized by the Austin Public Education Foundation and held July 14, at The Austin Country Club. The best thing celebrated that day was this community’s commitment to enriching the educational opportunities for all students in Austin Public Schools.

Partners in raising funds included:

—The priceless help, (at volunteer rates) of many Austinites, alumni, and students from I.J. Holton Intermediate School to Austin High School.

—The advocates, of individuals to business and corporate sponsors, dedicated to navigating the pathway between improving Austin’s quality of life by increasing the educational services available to its future leaders.

—The collaborators of the local media.

—The satellite of golf tourney gurus,

—And of course last but not a “Bogey”, the nearly 100 golfers proactive on the green(s).

Thank you (alphabetically) to:

•All the volunteers

•Accentra Credit Union

•Ameriprise Financial

•Apollo

•Astrup Drug

•Austin Country Club

•Austin Daily Herald

•Austin Public Schools

•Barrett Golf Resources

•Bergs Nursery

•Bill Carroll/J-C Press

•Caribou Coffee

•Clifton Allen Larson LLP

•Doug and Julie Craven

•Country Inns and Suites by Carlson

•Diamond Ridge Printing

•Dairy Queen

•Dolans Landscaping

•Edward Jones/Greg Bird

•Endres Window Cleaning

•Family Eye Care Center

•Fast Income Tax Inc.

•First Farmers and Merchants

•Golfers

•Jayna Heimark

•Hill Larson Walth and Benda PA

•Holiday Cars

•Home Federal Savings Bank

•Hormel Foods

•Hy-Vee

•Integrity Realty

•Jims Super Fresh

•KAAL TV

•KAUS Radio

•McDonalds

•McFarland Truck Lines

•Medicap Pharmacy

•Morems

•Mower County Shopper

•Mrs. Gerry’s Kitchen

•Nicols Auto Shop

•Old Mill Restaurant

•Overby Orthodontics

•Papa Murphys Pizza

•Perkins Family Restaurant

•Piggy Blues

•Plunkett Pest Control

•Potach and Mitchell Dental Clinic

•Quality Pork Processors

•RBC Capital Markets LLC

•Stadheim Jewelers

•State Farm Isurance/Greg Meyer

•The Brickhouse Coffee House

•The Hormel Institute

•Thompson Insurance Group

•Usem Chevrolet

•Worlein Funeral Home

•Mary Clare Wadding

•Yoga Studio of Austin

It takes more than a “foursome” to raise over $20,000 to benefit students in our district. The 2015 Packer Classic is set for July 20; together we can surely make it an “ace” event.

Support Austin’s educational excellence with a purchase of a “Floor on the Wall” plaque at Austin High School, welcomed all year long. Coming this fall, we can dine for our students at The Perkins Family Restaurant and Austin Public Education Share Night.

Please contact The Austin Public Education Foundation to get involved at 507-460-1938 or online at Austin.k12.mn.us.