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CLEMMONS — The Gold Shield Foundation of North Carolina has scheduled its annual fundraising golf tournament for Saturday, Sept. 6, at the Salem Glen Country Club in Clemmons.

This year’s tournament will feature various games on six holes including a drone ball drop, Hole in One contest, long drive championships, beating the pro and more, with cash and prizes totaling over $58,000. There will also be a putting contest, with the winner receiving a Pebble Beach trip for two. In addition to the tournament, there will be a silent auction which featured over 160 items last year.

The Salem Glen Country Club is located at 1000 Glen Day Dr, Clemmons.

The Gold Shield Foundation of North Carolina is a Winston-Salem-based nonprofit that aims to provide funds to fallen and severely-injured first responders throughout the state.

The Gold Shield Foundation of North Carolina was established in 2019 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit headquartered in Winston-Salem. One of the founding members, Brooks Minford, was introduced to the Gold Shield Foundation of Florida by his grandfather, which was founded in 1981 by the late George Steinbrenner and other concerned citizens.

Steinbrenner had heard of a police officer and two firefighters who were killed in the line of duty, leaving behind widows and family. He got together with a group of like-minded businessmen and formed the Gold Shield Foundation. That foundation now serves eight counties in the Tampa Bay area, including federal agencies and MacDill Air Force Base.

Looking to create something specific for North Carolina, Brooks invited his college roommate, Whitson Frye, a Forsyth County Detective, to a Gold Shield luncheon in Tampa, Fl. The two then discussed the idea of forming a similar foundation in North Carolina as there was not yet a statewide organization set up for the purpose of benefiting fallen first responders. This idea manifested and the Gold Shield Foundation of N.C. was formed in November 2019.

With the onset of COVID-19, fundraising was initially very limited and the organization only served Forsyth County in the Triad area. However, with some publicity and generous donations, the foundation now provides funds to families of fallen and severely injured first responders throughout North Carolina.

To date, the foundation has assisted 25 beneficiaries and has provided over $85,000 in immediate financial aid to families of fallen first responders along with an additional $9,700 in grants to accredited agencies for training and equipment.

The foundation is governed by a board of 10 directors, with each board member serving on a volunteer basis and not receiving any compensation.

In March of 2022 the board decided to hold the first major fundraising event, which was a golf tournament held at Salem Glen Country Club. That tournament raised $31,000.

Tournaments in 2023 and 2024 generated a combined $89,000 in proceeds for the foundation.

“We are thankful to our sponsors and supporters who have helped us raise over $120,000 in three years by way of our annual Golf Tournament.  Salem Glen Country Club has been a great partner in this endeavor, especially allowing the tournament to be held on a Saturday,” wrote board member Frank Johnson in a release

Tournament information can be found on the web site events.golfstatus.com/event/2025-gold-shield-foundation-nc-golf-tournament.

For additional information about the Gold Shield Foundation of NC, go to www.goldshieldnc.com.