MERIDIAN, Miss. (Queen City Newsfeed) – The Meridian Rotary Club held its annual Golf Ball Drop fundraiser Thursday evening at Dumont Plaza, drawing community members for an event that combined entertainment, food and charitable giving.
“This is our annual golf ball drop which is a fundraiser for the Meridian Rotary Club. It helps us raise funds, which we then give back out into the community in form of grants and scholarships every year,” said Carra Purvis, Rotary President.
Participants purchased tickets corresponding to numbered golf balls. With assistance from the Meridian Arts Council and East Mississippi Electric Power Association (EMEPA), hundreds of balls were lifted in a bucket and released over a target area. Balls that landed in designated holes were declared winners.
“We sell tickets for the golf ball drop, then with the help of the Meridian Arts Council and EMEPA, we put hundreds of golf balls into a bucket, they raise it up and dump it out, then whichever golf balls drop into the holes, those are the winners. Each hole is worth $1,000,” Purvis said.
Three winners were announced: Michael Dudley, John Rea and Eliza Gavin.
The event was held in partnership with the Meridian Arts Council as part of its monthly “Third Thursday” series, a recurring downtown gathering featuring live entertainment and local vendors.
“Third Thursday is going on every month. Several years ago, we partnered with the Arts Council. It’s kind of a ready-made event for us and a great partnership,” Purvis said.
Thursday’s event featured live music from Jared Daws and the Dusk Singers, along with food and beer vendors, creating a festival-like atmosphere in the downtown plaza. The event began at 5:30 p.m.
Purvis said the Rotary Club’s mission extends beyond local initiatives to include global service efforts.
“Rotary is a community service organization. We focus on our local community, helping to make it better — education, life skills, students, things like that. On a global scale, we also focus on clean water, sanitation, housing, things like that,” she said.
The Meridian Rotary Club meets weekly and welcomes new members interested in community service.
“If you’d like to be a part of Rotary, please join us. We meet every Wednesday at noon at Northwood Country Club. Or, you can find us on Facebook,” Purvis said.