The Arkansas Craft School is holding its first golf fundraiser on Saturday, May 21 at the Indian Hills Golf Course in Fairfield Bay. According to the school’s general manager, Dr. Mike Doyle, this will be an annual event, moving to a different golf course each year.
“Proudly located on the Courthouse Square in Mountain View,” said Doyle, “we are the Arkansas Craft School. Many of our instructors and most of our students come from other regions of Arkansas and the surrounding states. Our annual Gala, in November, will always take place in Mountain View, but it makes sense for the school to have a second, traveling event to help bring new people to the Craft School and to Mountain View.”
The Craft School is inviting local golfers to play in this year’s event – a $100,000 shoot-out that includes four hole-in-one contests (one for $10,000), a longest drive and a closest to the pin contest, and raffle prizes. The cost of playing in the event is $60 per player, and includes breakfast, 18 holes of golf with cart, lunch, and entry in all the contests. Players can register as foursomes, individuals, or couples.
According to Sherry Branscum, the Craft School’s public relations coordinator, the school has obtained sponsors for all of its contests and for all the tee boxes. “There are still a number of greens available if someone would like to be a sponsor for this year’s event,” said Branscum. “Green sponsorships are $250.” A non-profit, the proceeds from the fundraiser are used to provide the funding necessary to support matching fund grants obtained by the school.
For more information on the Arkansas Craft School’s Golf Fundraiser, contact Sherry Branscum at 870-269-8397 or sherry.branscum@arkansascraftschool.org.
Cathy Drew is a lifelong resident of the region that she loves to promote. She was born in downtown Batesville in the late ’60s, located in one of the eight counties she now enjoys encouraging people to visit.
Drew became associated with the Ozark Gateway Region in 1990 while working at the ad agency (The Media Market Inc.). The agency handled marketing for the regional association, where she and her co-workers produced an annual tabloid publication. She began working as the Ozark Gateway Region director in June 2000.
After Drew became director, she took the region to the next level by helping the tourism organization create a new website and moved it from the old newspaper paper tabloid publication to a color magazine format. She helped open a visitor center for the Ozark Gateway, allowing visitors to pick up information from the entire state 24/7. Over the years, Drew has helped the organization meet new marketing goals, such as in- and out-of-state marketing, assuring that all 100,000 copies of their magazines are distributed each year.
In 2016, she assisted in creating the first Ozark Gateway Region Golf Classic. The tournament continues to grow each year, allowing the organization to expand its co-op program and helping each county have dedicated promotion. Drew stays busy at Ozark Gateway as the ad sales manager, magazine editor, day-to-day office operations, trade show representative, and magazine distribution representative, all while ensuring that the region is represented all over Arkansas and southern Missouri.
Drew was featured in several local and statewide publications over the years, as well as the 1997 cover of the Ozark Gateway Region tabloid, along with her then 4-year-old son, Jon. She has received several awards, such as the Batesville Rotarian of the Year in 2010 and a three-time Paul Harris Fellow.
She also has served as an Independence County election commissioner for several years. She now serves as their co-election coordinator, helping with behind-the-scenes management of voting equipment, day-to-day election deadlines, and poll worker training.
Drew serves on the Arkansas Travel Council Board of Directors, is Batesville Rotary Club Past President, and is the Rotary Clubs’ current publicity chair.
In March of 2018, Drew was honored with induction into the Arkansas Tourism Hall of Fame for her many years of dedicated service to the tourism industry.