In celebration of Black’s Tire & Auto Service’s 95th anniversary and Boys & Girls Homes of North Carolina’s 70th year, their Charity Golf Tournament raised a record $231,295.70 benefitting BGHNC on Sept. 19 at Myrtle Beach National Golf Club. The tournament opened to about 250 golfers. The event also raised an additional $3,500 in scholarship money for BGHNC students. Since 2002, Black’s Tire & Auto Service has raised more than $1.8 million to help the children who are served through Boys & Girls Homes.
Addressing the golfers at the event, Boys and Girls Homes President/CEO Marc Murphy said the organization thinks of Black’s Tire as family.
“We are not able to do any of our work without this kind of support,” he said. Then he told the story of one family of siblings now under Boys & Girls Homes’ care who had been living in a trailer without electricity or running water.
“At Boys & Girls Homes, we focus on keeping siblings together. We brought all six siblings to live on campus,” he said. “The first night, one of those children walked around the cottage where they were staying and pointed out we have lights, we have water, we have electricity. There’s food. That is why we do what we do at Boys & Girls Homes.”
A BGHNC residential youth told the crowd of golfers what she was learning while living at Boys & Girls Homes. “I have learned a lot about being a leader while at Boys & Girls Homes, and I thank you all for being here today.” (The child’s name has been withheld to protect their privacy.)
Ricky Benton II, managing owner of Black’s Tire and a current Board of Trustees member of BGHNC, said the golf tournament was inspired by the original owner of Black’s Tire, Crowell Black, who was a founding board member of Boys and Girls Homes.
“What Crowell Black did back then 70 years ago – him and the people around him -- look what that’s done just with our group and with you. Multiply that and see what that can do,” Benton said. “That’s amazing, so thank you, thank you, thank you. The good Lord has been good to us.”
