Golf tournament for Knights of Columbus celebrates sixteen years of charity

The annual Bill Lord Memorial Tournament hosted by the Knights of Columbus at River Landing took place on August 30 for a day of golfing for local fundraiser.

Bill Lord was a former River Landing resident and a member of the Knights of Columbus. He sadly passed away shortly after he started the program. Sixteen years ago, he began the local tournament to help support programs for the Exceptional Children program in Duplin County.

The Least Among My Brethren (LAMB) Foundation is a tax-exempt NC Charitable Foundation that was started by the Knights of Columbus to help children and adults with exceptional needs. The LAMB Foundation is most well known for supporting the Special Olympics but its main focus is supporting the local needs of Duplin County.

Mike Vandiver has taken on chairmanship of the event for several years alongside chairman Dan Kusnierz.

Vandiver is proud to continue the event in memory of Bill Lord by continuing his legacy. “We focus on supporting the marginalized in our country acting as the hands and feet of Jesus in our local community,” said Vandiver.

The fund has existed for many years, raising millions nationwide supporting programs state-wide and locally, he said. This is done by relying on generosity of donors and sponsors.

The Knights of Columbus aim to support youth in need. The LAMB support is a focal point of every Knights Council. “One of our first projects was funding a safe playground for the Exceptional students at Kenansville Elementary,” said Vandiver.

Around 100 people participate which groups the players into approximately 24 to 27 teams. Local businesses are major supporters with sponsors contributing to make the event possible. The House of Raeford has been a Gold Sponsor from the beginning.

“We have four to six flights. Within a flight, six to seven teams of four people are competing. First place in each flight wins $300. We also award second and third places in each flight. Our winner last year won $1,400,” said Vandiver.

Supporting students in their educational environment goes beyond helping local youth for the Knights of Columbus. “Our council takes great pride in providing over $100,000 in grants to our teachers over the last 15 years. We know these added resources help our Exceptional children to thrive and develop,” said Vandiver.

The Knights of Columbus are active throughout the year helping those in most need with many organizations including local food banks and more.

“We love our Duplin County community and thank them for all of their support,” he said.