by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
In what has become an annual tradition, the Tom Bearson Foundation will for the third consecutive year host its Golf Outing event Saturday, July 15 at Blackberry Ridge Golf Course in Sartell.
The event is a fundraiser to raise money for the many good causes accomplished by the foundation in honor of Tom Bearson’s memory. Bearson, raised in Sartell, the son of Deb and Greg Bearson, was murdered in the Fargo-Moorhead area Sept. 20, 2014 just four weeks after starting college at North Dakota State University. The crime remains unsolved.
Bearson loved sports and excelled as a basketball player at Sartell High School.
After his shocking, untimely death, family, friends and well-wishers rallied, creating the Tom Bearson Foundation to commemorate through good deeds the son, brother and friend whom so many loved.
The Golf Outing event will begin with registration at 11 a.m. At 12:45 p.m., there will be a balloon release followed by free hog dogs and refreshments. A shotgun start is slated for 1 p.m. Dinner will start at 6 p.m. There will be a silent auction, door prizes, memorabilia for sale and other fun activities.
The golfing can be for one player through up to four players. And those not fond of golf can register for the dinner only while others can register for a tournament sponsorship. The golf entry fee includes range pass, green fees, cart and dinner.
To register and for more information, visit www.tombearson.org/golfouting.
Foundation works
In just three years, the Tom Bearson Foundation has raised enough money to achieve many of its goals.
One of the major accomplishments was a major restoration of the gymnasium at St. Francis Xavier Elementary School, which Bearson attended and where he spent so many happy hours playing basketball. The foundation spent $80,000 on that project, which paid for a new, multi-purpose gym floor, new backboards and energy-efficient lighting.
Other foundation programs include the annual Tom Bearson Spirit Award, a $2,500 scholarship to student athletes in the central Minnesota area; annual boys and girls basketball scholarships; a high-school team-building project and, most recently, the foundation sponsored a “Wisdom Retreat” for graduating seniors at Sartell High School during which participants learned about personal responsibility and personal safety.
Tom Bearson and his older, sister, Maddie, were always chummy friends, as this photo shows.
Tom Bearson was practically born with a basketball in his hands. This photo shows him practicing at his home hoop in 2006.
