One of the Newtown Scholarship Association’s most important fundraisers is the annual golf outing, the Jack Friel Memorial Scramble, and this year’s edition will be contested on Monday, June 26, at the Country Club of Waterbury, which is ranked No. 10 on Golf Digest’s most recent Best in State list. NSA invites friends and neighbors to consider coming out to play to support a great cause. The online player and sponsor registration page can be found at newtownscholarship.org.

A full day is offered to the players including a registration gift, lunch, 18 holes of golf, complimentary beverages during the tournament, on-course skills contests, two-hour open bar, buffet dinner, raffle table and silent auction. The highlighted lots during the auction include a one-year membership to the Dormie Network of private clubs, a threesome of golf hosted by a member at Baltusrol Golf Club, which is ranked No. 45 on the Golf Digest Top 100 list and a threesome of golf hosted by Newtown native and PGA TOUR caddie Joe LaCava, at Bull’s Bridge Golf Club. There is an online auction page where all the different lots can be found and where bids can be placed at nsa2023waterburyopen.ggo.bid.

This year, the NSA has selected Newtown First Selectman Dan Rosenthal as the golf outing Honoree. Rosenthal has chosen not to run for re-election to a fourth term and the Newtown Scholarship Association believes that recognizing him at its event is an appropriate gesture of appreciation for his service to our town.

This year, the NSA is partnering for the first time with The Travelers Championship, the PGA TOUR event hosted at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell. The Travelers Championship will be contested the week prior to the NSA tournament with the final round being held on Sunday, June 25. Pat Kelley, co-chair of the NSA golf outing explains: “The Travelers Championship will have a lot more visibility this year as it has been elevated on the professional golfers’ tournament schedule. The total prize money for the event has been increased from $8 million to $20 million. Therefore, the superstars of professional golf will be coming to Connecticut to compete.”

The NSA has registered to be an official partner of the tournament through their Birdies for Charity program. Launched in 2004, Birdies for Charity provides an opportunity for charities like NSA to raise awareness about their cause. The program is simply a giving platform that utilizes the excitement around the tournament to help nonprofits support their mission. The Travelers Championships sends 100 percent of all funds collected to the participating charity, and Webster Bank, the tournament’s financial partner, provides an additional 15 percent match to all donations received.

The Newtown Scholarship Association (NSA) was established in 1937 as a nonprofit organization to promote and advance the education of secondary school graduates residing in town. Since its founding, the mission of the NSA has been to help close the gap between tuition costs and what a student can afford to pay, ensuring that all students — regardless of financial circumstances — can attain a higher education. This year the NSA will award $300,000 to more than 150 students from Newtown.