VPS Convenience Store Group, operator of the Scotchman Convenience Stores, held its 29th Annual Summer Swing Golf Tournament and Auction to benefit the Boy Scouts of America, Cape Fear Council last week and raised more than $90,000 for the cause.
More than 190 participants enjoyed this year’s reception and auction at the Holiday Inn Resort at Wrightsville Beach on June 12 and the golf tournament at Cape Fear National Course in Leland the following morning. Despite a potentially rainy forecast, the day cleared and was absolutely gorgeous on the golf course.
This year, the Boy Scouts presented VPS with a Crystal Eagle statue to honor all the good work the organization has done for the Council. The Crystal Eagle commemorates the 100th anniversary of the awarding of the first Eagle Scout Award.
“We look forward to this event each year to show our support for the Boy Scouts. We have a great time and it’s for a great cause,” said Jeff Turpin, Chairman and CEO of VPS. “It’s a terrific partnership and we are very proud as a company that we have such a long-standing commitment to our local scouts. In just a few weeks, we’ll start the planning for next year’s 30th annual event.”
To date, VPS has contributed over $1.2 million to the Cape Fear Council Scouting program, which covers an eight-county area of southeastern North Carolina. All money raised from the annual event goes directly to the Boy Scouts to provide financial assistance for any Scout who needs help to participate in activities or attend summer camp. It also supports the Council’s “Scoutreach” program to inner-city and rural areas of southeastern North Carolina.
This annual golf tournament has become the largest fundraising event in the history of the Cape Fear Council Boy Scout program. It has achieved national acclaim by the Boy Scout organization and has become a model for other Boy Scout groups throughout the southern United States.
“Hosting this event for 29 years clearly demonstrates the strong commitment VPS has to the values of character, integrity, leadership and patriotism that are taught by our Scouting program,” said Doug Clevinger, Scout Executive of the Cape Fear Council. “We are honored to partner with VPS and look forward to continuing this proud tradition for many years to come.”
The Chairman of the golf tournament this year was Rich Mione, Senior Director of Merchandising for VPS. Jeff Turpin, the company’s Chairman and CEO, serves on the Executive Board of the Cape Fear Council, Boy Scouts of America.
The Boy Scouts of America celebrated 101 years of service to young people this year. The Cape Fear Council Boy Scout program is headquartered in Wilmington, North Carolina and serves over 14,000 persons through 2,100 volunteer leaders and more than 200 chartered organizations. The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to foster the character development, citizenship training, and physical fitness of young people and in other ways to prepare them to make ethical choices over their lifetime by instilling values based on those found in the Scout Oath and Law.
VPS Convenience Store Group, headquartered in Wilmington, NC, operates 425 stores under six brand names including Scotchman, Village Pantry, Lil Cricket, Young’s Food Stores, Everyday Shops and Next Door Stores. The VPS group is ranked 15th on the Convenience Store News Top 20 Company Operated Chains and sixth on the Grant Thornton North Carolina 100® list of top private companies. Last year, VPS helped raise more than $500,000 for charitable causes including Jeff Gordon’s Children Foundation, Boy Scouts of America, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Susan G. Komen Foundation and Support US Armed Forces.
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