Pictured L to R: Romy Falck, Peter Erickson , Suzanne Brogger, Gerri Grossman, Colleen Fatooh, Elizabeth Cooper, Beth Armstrong and Heather Masterton and Michael Sharratt
The money raised will benefit the non-profit’s campaign to end the nation’s overwhelming backlog of untested sexual assault kits.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA—Eagle Club Indoor Golf is excited to announce the recent success of its first ever “Drive-A-Thon” fundraiser. On March 31st and April 1st, San Francisco’s #1 spot for indoor golf culminated its quarter long fundraising campaign with a drive-a-thon to benefit Joyful Heart Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping sexual assault survivors heal and reclaim a sense of joy in their lives. The money raised—$10,200 total—will benefit the non-profit’s “End the Backlog” campaign.
“We are extremely proud of our team for taking the initiative to explain to customers what the backlog is and why we are supporting it and even more proud of the community for coming together to take action in support of the campaign,” stated Michael Sharratt, President of Eagle Club Indoor Golf.
"As Joyful Heart works with partners across the country to implement comprehensive rape kit reform across the country, commitments like that of the Eagle Club Indoor Golf will help to raise awareness and accountability," said Ilse Knecht, Director of Policy & Advocacy for Joyful Heart Foundation. "We are so grateful for Eagle Club Indoor Golf's dedication to this issue, and the opportunity to spread awareness of the backlog throughout their networks.”
According to Sharratt, his company exceeded their fundraising goal by $750. Half the funds raised came from customer donations. The remaining half came from Eagle Indoor Golf’s commitment to donate five percent of revenue—an initiative the company first launched in January 2017. During the “Drive-A-Thon,” the company donated 50 percent of all range time revenue to Joyful Heart.
“Our fundraiser wouldn’t have been a success without the help of our customers. Over the course of the quarter long fundraiser, we had at least 4,100 customers come through our place and on the days of the event, we had around 100 people come through our facility,” stated Sharratt. “We want to say a big ‘thank you’ to every single one of them.”
Just in California alone, there are nearly 9,000 untested rape kits collecting dust in local police evidence rooms and warehouses. Sadly, that number makes up only a small fraction of the estimated hundreds of thousands of untested rape kits nationwide. Since 2010, Joyful Heart has made the elimination of the rape kit backlog a top priority. After watching a Facebook video on the backlog several months ago, Sharratt stated that he and his company felt compelled to help do something.
“To know that this is a problem in our own community and turn a blind eye would be wrong. Doing nothing, in my opinion, would only perpetuate the problem,” stated Sharratt. “We believe in and stand by Joyful Heart’s efforts to bring justice to rape victims everywhere.”
Although this was the first charity fundraising event for Eagle Club Indoor Golf, the staff has plans to continue looking for opportunities to help their community and make a positive impact.
“We will continue to honor our commitment to serve the community and to take an active role in bringing people together for the betterment of our community,” stated Sharratt. “We plan to have similar events in the future.”
About Eagle Club Indoor Golf Established in 2013, Eagle Club Indoor Golf has established itself as a convenient, go-to spot for golfers in San Francisco. Every offering and feature is designed to make golf more fun, easier to play, more accessible, and more relaxing for golfers and non-golfers alike. Features include driving ranges, courses, and services like club repair and regripping. To learn more about the company, click here. About Joyful Heart Foundation When Mariska Hargitay started playing Detective Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, the content of the scripts, as well as the work she did to prepare for the role, opened her eyes to the epidemics of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse. She created the Joyful Heart Foundation to help survivors heal and reclaim a sense of joy in their lives. Joyful Heart has evolved into a national organization with offices in Los Angeles, Honolulu, and New York City. The mission of the Joyful Heart Foundation is to transform society's response to sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse, support survivors' healing, and end this violence forever. To learn more, click here.