By Sarah Ruppenthal
The fun will be in full swing at the Royal Ka‘anapali Course on the morning of Saturday, April 1. That’s when teams of golfers will hit the links for a good cause during the 15th Annual Legacy Cup Golf Tournament.
For the second year in a row, Realtors Association of Maui affiliate company Ho‘okele Title & Escrow will be the title sponsor of the tournament, which raises funds for Lahainaluna High School’s Class of 2023 Project Graduation. And for the 15th year in a row, Ho‘okele Title & Escrow Executive Vice President Joel Navarro will serve as the Legacy Cup Golf Tournament chairman.
Check in for the tournament will begin at 7 a.m., followed by a shotgun start at 8 a.m.; it will be a four-person team scramble format. And it will have all the trimmings: a bento breakfast, on-course contests, prizes, and an awards luncheon at Roy’s Kaanapali.
And then there’s the biggest thrill of all: The annual tournament is the primary fundraiser for Project Graduation, also known as “Project Grad,” a voluntary, drug- and alcohol-free all-night party for Lahainaluna High School graduates. After their graduation ceremony, students meet at a designated check-in location and are safely transported to various spots for food, entertainment, and activities in the hours that follow; they are driven back to the check-in site the next morning.
While the overnight event offers nonstop fun from sunset to sunrise, the No. 1 goal of Project Graduation is to keep students safe. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers in the United States. Additionally, drivers ages 16 to 19 have a fatal crash rate nearly three times higher than those ages 20 and older per mile driven. And according to CDC data from 2020, around 30 percent of drivers ages 15 to 20 who were killed in motor vehicle crashes had been driving while impaired.
Realtors Association of Maui members (from left) Peggy Lyn Speicher, Soo-Lin Lee, Chris Speicher, Tamara Surtees, Agnes Faber, Quinn Brown, and Gabby Lopez are all smiles at last year’s Legacy Cup Golf Tournament. This year’s event will be held at the Royal Ka‘anapali Course on Saturday, April 1, and will raise money for Lahainaluna High School’s Project Graduation.
Photo courtesy Joel Navarro
These statistics are alarming. And they are the reason why parents, school administrators, and community members step up to coordinate the Project Graduation event year after year.
To ensure every graduating senior can attend, the Lahainaluna Project Graduation Committee subsidizes the cost per student up to 85 percent, depending on how early the students sign up, and fully covers the cost of students in need. This is made possible through the Legacy Cup Golf Tournament fundraiser.
You can support this year’s Project Graduation event by signing up a four-person team to play, donating prizes, volunteering, or becoming a tournament hole sponsor or tournament corporate sponsor.
To play, there is a $800 entry fee per four-person team. The fee includes green and cart fees, an entry gift, and the post-tournament awards luncheon at Roy’s Kaanapali, where the Legacy Cup trophy will be awarded to the winning team, along with a special grand prize. Other prizes will include resort certificates, golf course certificates, restaurant certificates, and golf merchandise, among other things.
To learn more about the Legacy Cup Golf Tournament or for more information about becoming a prize donor, event volunteer, tournament hole sponsor or tournament corporate sponsor, visit www.lahainalunaptsa.org/legacy-cup-golf-tournament.html.
Do you know a Realtors Association of Maui member who should be recognized for their contributions to the community? If so, send your story idea to Sarah Ruppenthal at missruppenthal@gmail.com.