Melwood Hosts Fourth Annual Melwood Champions Golf Tournament, Raises $119,800

September 29, 2023

Upper Marlboro, Md. – Melwood, a leading employer, advocate, and preferred provider for people with disabilities, hosted its fourth annual Melwood Champions Golf Tournament on Tuesday, September 26, 2023. Despite the rainy weather, 108 golfers participated and raised $119,800 to support Melwood’s Career Exploration and Workforce Development programs.

Melwood’s vision is a world that fully includes people with disabilities, and that starts with economic empowerment through employment. Through the support of individuals, groups, and corporate partners, Melwood has grown its workforce program offerings to serve more people with disabilities, providing paths to meaningful employment and independence. Melwood provides job training, coaching, matching, and ongoing support to its participants, and simultaneously works with employers to provide programming to foster more inclusive pipelines and workplaces.

The fourth annual Melwood Champions Golf Tournament was supported by these generous sponsors:

“Thank you to our Melwood champions – the golfers, sponsors, and other community members – who participated in our annual golf tournament! As we celebrate 60 years of Melwood’s legacy of impact and driving community transformation, we’re grateful for your generosity,” said Larysa Kautz, President & CEO, Melwood. “Without your faithful investment of time, resources, and energy, we wouldn’t be able to do this work. It’s because of you that we were able to serve more than 3,000 people with disabilities in our community this year, the majority of whom participated in our Career Exploration and Workforce Development programs.”

The tournament winners included:

• Men’s Longest Drive: Louis Matthews
• Women’s Longest Drive: Meilani Tom
• Straightest Drive: Casey Rezendes
• Tropic Getaway Shootout Contest: Meilani Tom

For nearly 60 years, Melwood has been leading the way in pursuing its vision of a world that fully includes people with disabilities. Melwood takes a holistic approach through employment, workforce development, youth programs, support services, strategic partnerships, advocacy, and community engagement. Melwood’s innovative programs empower people with disabilities of all ages to work and thrive independently, where and how they choose.