The Montpellier Massane Golf Club, set in beautiful grounds with a luxury spa hotel and an 18-hole course, is home to the “Grand Prix du Golf” in France. This sporting event is well respected in the golfing fraternity and part of the events calendar of la Fédération Française de Golf.

However, this October the club agreed to host an additional golfing event, a tournament to raise awareness for TPRF and the local branch of a well-known international foundation, “Enfance et Partage.” The partnership between the two foundations enabled TPRF to attract excellent sponsorship for the tournament, with donations and profits being divided between them.

Twenty golfers took part in the tournament, and to the surprise of the organizers, eleven members of the Montpellier Massane Golf Club also joined in. Following the tournament, nearly 90 people enjoyed a buffet dinner of French cuisine with musical entertainment and a raffle.

A lot of fun was had during the raffle. To everyone’s amusement, a guest won a very strange prize, and neither she nor anybody could guess what the object was actually for! Finally somebody came up with the solution—it was a device to check tire pressure. Another guest wanted to buy a set of three storybooks with stories by Prem Rawat, but was unable to afford the whole collection. However, she decided to buy a ticket for the raffle, and, to her delight, she won the full set of storybooks.

Both the Club Director and representatives from Enfance et Partage were clearly impressed by the standard of organization and teamwork shown by TPRF volunteers. They also seemed to be very touched by the message of hope presented by golfing enthusiast and advisor to the event, Charan Anand, and by the video screening of TPRF’s Food for People program. The Club Director has said the club will be very happy to host a similar tournament next year. It will feature on the club’s 2013 events calendar and be promoted to club members and beyond.

TPRF volunteers hope to work again in partnership with Enfance et Partage next year, with tournaments in Paris and in Montpellier.

Said Connie, one of the organizers of the tournament, “Next year, in Paris, who knows, maybe we’ll have the chance to play at the internationally renowned golf ‘National’!”