Page 24 - South Mississippi Living - February, 2019

COASTNOTES
Time to Sign up for BIRDIES FOR CHARITY
story by Lynn Lofton photo courtesy of the Diocese of Biloxi
story by Lynn Lofton
rapiscansystemsclassic.com 228.896.6365 or 228.243.7021
Numerous non-profit groups will benefit from the Rapiscan Systems Classic Golf Tournament that takes place the last weekend of March
at Fallen Oak Golf Course. The tournament’s tenth Birdies for Charity program kicked off last month to raise donations. For the first time, the program is partnering with the Gulf Coast Community Foundation.
“We’re excited to have this partner,” said Rapiscan Systems Classic Community Outreach Manager
Mary Wesche. “Not only are we currently registering charities to participate in the program, we are also reaching out to area businesses and foundations to become a charity partner. It’s a great way to touch the lives of the many people associated
with different charities locally.”
The number of charities ranges from
20 to 30 each year and the amount each collects varies. Organizations keep 100 percent of their collected donations. Administrative and promotional costs for the program are covered by the tournament and the Gulf Coast Community Foundation.
“It’s easy for the charities. Another exciting aspect of Birdies for Charity is the Matching Funds pool. Participating charities receive a match on every dollar raised,” Wesche said.
Since the inception of the tournament, more than $2.2 million has been raised for local charities. In 2018, Birdies for Charity raised $467,567.25.
In Memorium:
Bishop Joseph Lawson Howze
The late Bishop Joseph Lawson Howze is being remembered as
a trailblazer. He was the first bishop of the Diocese of Biloxi — a position he held for 24 years — and the first black bishop in the 20th century to head a diocese in the U.S.
“Establishing a new diocese was hard work, but Bishop Howze was very proud of what he, with the help of devoted clergy, religious and laity, accomplished during his tenure, and was forever grateful to the people of the diocese for their unfailing generosity of time, talent and treasure,” said Biloxi Bishop Louis F. Kihneman III. “While
we are saddened by the death of Bishop Howze, we rejoice in his life, a life well lived.”
Bishop Howze was born in Daphne, Alabama, the son of the late Albert Otis Howze Sr. and
Helen Lawson. His education began at Most Pure Heart of Mary Elementary School in Mobile and continued in Baldwin County Schools and Mobile County Training School where
he graduated as valedictorian. He then attended Alabama State College where he graduated with honors.
After becoming a Catholic at age 25, he studied for the priesthood at Epiphany College and the Diocesan Preparatory Seminary in New York. He was ordained in 1959.
24 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • February 2019 FOR MORE REFLECTIONS OF THE GULF COAST >> www.smliving.net