Miami Lakes committee advances planning for veterans wall golf fundraiser; date and sponsorships still pending

Members of the Miami Lakes Veterans Committee spent the meeting focused on organizing a fundraising golf tournament to support construction of a proposed Veterans Wall at Veterans Park. Committee members discussed possible dates in late February, sponsorship levels, vendor and volunteer needs, and outreach to the new Miami Lakes golf course, but did not approve a final date or any expenditures.

Committee organizers said the event’s proceeds would support what they repeatedly referred to as a “Veterans Wall” — a nonprofit-directed fundraising effort to pay for a monument and related improvements at Veterans Park. Organizers proposed a golf tournament format with sponsorship tiers, foursome sales and onsite vendors (beer, cigars, food vendors) as primary revenue sources and described a target pricing structure and initial budget targets during the discussion.

Why it matters: the committee is seeking to raise money to construct the Veterans Wall and to use the tournament as a visible community fundraiser; decisions made now about dates, sponsorship packages and deposit payments will determine whether the golf course will reserve the venue and whether organizers can meet upfront payment requirements.

Most urgent planning details discussed

- Date: Organizers proposed late-February dates as planning targets (February 26–28 was discussed, with Feb. 26 and Feb. 27 repeatedly named). No date was finalized; members agreed to confirm availability with the golf course and to try to secure a firm date before the next committee meeting.

- Venue and deposits: Committee members said the new Miami Lakes golf course is the preferred site and that the course will likely require a deposit. Organizers discussed an estimated course fee of roughly $22,500 for the event and calculated a typical half-down deposit of about $11,250. Members emphasized the need to secure sponsor payments quickly to meet any deposit requirements.

- Revenue model and sponsorships: The group outlined a mixed revenue plan: tiered sponsorship packages (platinum/gold/bronze/title levels), sponsor-paid booths and hole banners, foursome sales (estimates ranged from $800 per foursome to $150 per individual player), a driving-range sponsor, vendor fees for onsite tents, a silent auction, raffle/50-50 sales and donation solicitation tied specifically to the Veterans Wall. Members discussed using an existing sponsorship template (reindeer run/mental health task force) as the basis for packages and tailoring levels to cover initial course costs and additional event expenses.

- Volunteers and operations: Organizers identified registration, silent-auction staffing, a 50-50 raffle, water/beer/cigar carts and setup/tear-down as primary volunteer needs. The committee discussed approaching the American Legion auxiliary, local high-school volunteers (contingent on a teacher workday), chamber-of-commerce members and other community groups to staff those roles.

- Vendors and partners: Potential partners discussed included Mission Barbecue (food), Dick’s Sporting Goods (donations), the Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce (promotion), local restaurants and retail sponsors. Members said they planned to ask the golf course for a reduced rate and to request in-kind donations for items such as T-shirts, prize packages and raffle items.

- Branding and use of proceeds: The committee discussed event naming options emphasizing veterans — e.g., variations on “Miami Lakes Veterans Wall/Monument Golf Tournament Fundraiser” — and said materials would explicitly state that proceeds (or a portion of proceeds) would go toward the Veterans Wall at Veterans Park. Organizers also discussed directing some spare funds to local veteran relief efforts (for example, American Legion small-loan relief), but did not commit specific allocations.

Decisions and next steps

The committee did not take a formal vote during the meeting. Instead members agreed on next steps: (1) Fred and Bill will contact the golf-course representatives (and Danny Martinez was singled out as a course contact); (2) organizers will prepare a draft sponsorship packet (using an existing local sponsorship template) and circulate it to committee members for edits; (3) the committee will pursue sponsors and vendor commitments with the goal of collecting enough deposits to satisfy the course’s likely half-down requirement; and (4) the committee aims to confirm an event date prior to its next meeting.

Context and background

Members said they have architect renderings of the proposed wall and plan to include images on promotional brochures. They discussed promotional channels including Eventbrite, the Town’s website/social channels and local media outreach via the Miami Lakes press. Organizers estimated an event duration of about four hours from shotgun start to finish for a typical shotgun-format tournament with eight players per hole, and they discussed staging a boxed lunch or modest post-play luncheon under a tent rather than a formal dinner.

What wasn’t decided

No final date, no signed contract with the golf course, and no committed sponsorship revenue were recorded during the meeting. Committee members also did not adopt a final sponsorship-price schedule or approve expenditures; they instead directed staff/volunteers to secure vendor responses and sponsor pledges.

Ending note

Committee organizers scheduled a follow-up meeting (noted as a Monday 6:00 p.m. recurring slot) and asked volunteers to begin outreach and packet preparation so the group can present a finalized sponsorship sheet and firm date at the next convening.