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Eight Minnesota men arrested for theft of almost $200,000 in pull tab charity funds | Minnesota

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A scheme to steal nearly $200,000 in charitable gambling funds has led to the arrest of eight men. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement (AGE) division primarily targeted pull tab charitable gambling funds from bars and restaurants in the Twin Cities Metro Area and greater Minnesota. The […]

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4 weeks ago

May 6, 2025

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ST. PAUL, Minn. – A scheme to steal nearly $200,000 in charitable gambling funds has led to the arrest of eight men.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement (AGE) division primarily targeted pull tab charitable gambling funds from bars and restaurants in the Twin Cities Metro Area and greater Minnesota. The businesses were using pull tabs to raise money for youth sports programs, veterans’ organizations and other community activities. The eight men allegedly involved are facing 44 felony charges of second-degree burglary, attempted second-degree burglary, and theft for stealing $197,694.

“When you’re paying to open up a pull tab, you don’t want your money ending up in criminal hands,” says AGE Director Carla Cincotta. “These alleged criminals weren’t just stealing money — they were stealing from kids, from families, from veterans and from programs that build stronger communities. Thanks to the solid investigative work of our agency and law enforcement partners, we stopped this group in their tracks.”

AGE says its 14-month investigation discovered that Arron Scott King Sr., 50 of St. Paul, led the co-defendants and others in the racketeering scheme based out of his home. The suspects are accused of breaking into safes that contained cash from pull tab sales meant to fund charitable activities. The criminal activity allegedly occurred between March 6, 2023, and Feb. 22, 2024.

Besides Arron King Sr., the other men charged are:

– Sean Charles Fikes, 48 of Minneapolis

– Jawan Edward Jackson, 34 of Hugo

– Aaron Scot King Jr., 26 of St. Paul

– Dale Anthony Massie Jr., 50 of St. Paul

– Emondre James Morrison, 28 of West St. Paul

– Tyler Nicholas Paananen-Berneche, 31 of Newport

– Cory Jay Rosillo, 54 of Mankato

King allegedly communicated the burglary targets to his accomplices, who would then case or obtain information on the target businesses. Investigators say they used tools such as pry bars and sledgehammers to break into buildings and access pull tab booths and safes.

The stolen funds were for charitable activities including the:

– American Legion organizations in communities such as Howard Lake and Stillwater

– Champlin-Dayton Athletic Association

– Eastview Hockey Association

– Elk River Lions Club

– Hopkins Raspberry Association

– Irish Football Boosters

– Jefferson Athletic Foundation

– Monticello Youth Hockey Program

– Rogers Youth Hockey Association

– Roseville Youth Hockey Association

– Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4210 Forest Lake

AGE says it was assisted in this investigation by:

· Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement (AGE), a Minnesota Department of Public Safety division

· Apple Valley Police Department

· Blaine Police Department

· Bloomington Police Department

· Carver County Sheriff’s Office

· Centennial Lakes Police Department

· Corcoran Police Department

· Eagan Police Department

· Elk River Police Department

· Golden Valley Police Department

· Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office

· High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program

· Hopkins Police Department

· Howard Lake Police Department

· Mendota Heights Police Department

· MSP Airport Police

· Minneapolis Police Department

· New Brighton Police Department

· North St. Paul Police Department

· Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office

· Rochester Police Department

· Rosemount Police Department

· St. Louis Park Police Department

· St. Paul Police Department

· Woodbury Police Department

· Wright County Sheriff’s Office

To read the criminal complaints in this case, download the zip files below.

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6/3/25: Chubby Mermaids – NowKalamazoo

Things to do in Kalamazoo Sponsored by Check out events by category: Kalamazoo Farmers Market – Kalamazoo Farmers Market6/3, 8:00 AM Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep: Sheer Genius! Exhibit – Kalamazoo Valley Museum6/3, 10:00 AM Edison Blossoms – Edison Neighborhood Association6/3, 11:00 AM Bridge Club – Richland Community Library6/3, 12:00 PM Craft Stitching Group […]

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4 hours ago

June 3, 2025

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Things to do in Kalamazoo

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Annika Sorenstam’s sports mom advice for navigating youth sports

Cooper Flagg’s mom shares her best tips for parents navigating youth sports Mackenzie Salmon sat down with Cooper Flagg’s mom Kelly to talk about how she successfully navigated the world of youth sports. Sports Seriously Have you been this kid? “I wouldn’t raise my hand in class to answer a question in case I would […]

Published

5 hours ago

June 3, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Have you been this kid?

“I wouldn’t raise my hand in class to answer a question in case I would say the wrong thing,” Annika Sorenstam says. “I was always afraid that my classmates would laugh at me.”

She would even miss on purpose – maybe hit a three-putt, maybe leave the ball at the bunker – coming down the stretch at junior golf tournaments so she wouldn’t have to speak in front of a crowd.

“They wanted the winner to give remarks of some kind, even at early ages,” she tells USA TODAY Sports, “just to kind of teach you more than the game itself, and I remember just being so afraid of it. I could finish second or third and still get a prize.

“But you can imagine that would haunt me because I practiced a lot and I’m very competitive and got home knowing that I could have won it.”

Sorenstam, who would go on to win 10 major tournaments, 72 events on the LPGA Tour and make hundreds of post-round comments, says shyness has always been her weakness. But today it’s a smaller hurdle she can clear because of lessons she learned from her parents and from sports that she has continued to apply.

She’s now a mom of two teenagers (Ava, 15, and Will, 14) trying like us to distinguish their individual traits, and to give them room to grown into them, like she did.

“I always tell people, ‘Get back to me in 10 years,’ ” she says. “I’ll let you know if it worked.”

Sorenstam, 54, has been instructing for 18 years through her ANNIKA foundation, which empowers and advances the cause of young women in golf and life. This spring and summer, she is running clinics for Bank of America’s “Golf with Us” program to help give more boys and girls access to experiences similar to what she had.

She doesn’t formally coach Will, her rising junior golfer, though.

“I’ve learned you don’t want to be a helicopter parent,” she says. “You’re so invested and you’re so engaged and you’re so caring. We all love them so much and we just want them to succeed, and then it’s just, how do you handle it?”

Here’s her advice for parents and their athletes to help us all figure out golf, sports and overcoming our fears.

Foster independence through enjoyment of sport

Sorenstam’s mother, Gunilla, would swing a golf club when she was pregnant with her. She jokes with her daughter about how the action propelled her into her future.

Sorenstam describes her development as more of “one of those slow loves.” Slow, indeed.

She grew up near Stockholm, Sweden, where she could whisk down ski slopes. Tennis, which she played for eight years, was her first love, not golf.

“I really didn’t like it in the beginning,” she says. “It was for older people and I wanted to chase a ball.”

Gunilla and her father, Tom, weren’t experts as much as facilitators for Sorenstam and her sister, Charlotta, who would also play on the LPGA Tour. The freedom to choose their favorite sport sparked curiosity.

“It was just giving us the resources,” Annika says. “Driving us to the golf course or driving us to the tennis tournaments, providing the stuff that we needed. Not like a coach or anything; it was more they’re loving parents and not very pushy and just kind of help us and guide us through the steps. And I think that worked quite well.

“I disappointed them in my own way, but not through the score. And I always felt like they had my back. And on the contrary, I wanted them to be pleased and happy with what I was doing.”

She reflects today with a knowing chuckle about how right it felt: the way the support built her up inside and helped her along her teenage journey.

A seminal moment came when she was 16, and she had found her sport. “I want to play golf,” she told her parents.

“I don’t think I really knew where the golf would take me,” she says. “It was more just kind of a hobby. I enjoyed playing. And then I got a little better. And then I played some tournaments. And then one thing kind of led to another.”

‘Go with the flow’: Instead of having expectations for your kid athletes, be willing to adapt and change as they do

It’s a process she started over again when her kids were very young and they traveled with her to golf events.

“They probably thought that was work,” Sorenstam says, “and that’s not what they wanted to do.”

These can be delicate times with our kids and their sports. We can teach lessons on grip, ball position and aim by sprinkling them in while playing with friends (“It’s very convincing when friends play a certain sport,” she says) or having putting competitions.

“I am a big believer in understanding the fundamentals of the sport early on,” Sorenstam says, “and then just let them learn and let them test.”

We don’t always have to emphasize drilling. We can take breaks, she says, to stack golf balls into pyramids or stress the concepts of the sport with a soccer ball.

“Introduce them to the game so it doesn’t become so focused on golf and having to do everything perfectly,” she says. “I think that’s when you lose your kid early, because it’s all this structure. There’s a fine line of having structure. There’s a fine line of having etiquette. And I think you have to find that balance.

“When your kid leaves the golf course or the driving range you want them to have a smile on their face. Then I think you’ve been successful.”

Over the years, we have seen Will’s eyes drawn to not only Tiger and Charlie Woods but to his mom as they play the course at the PNC Championship together.

“Slow down, Mommy,” he said in 2023 as they walked down the 18th fairway in Orlando, Florida. “I don’t want this moment to end.”

Will and his sister tried just about every other sport Sorenstam and husband Mike McGee played – “I was the mean mom; I didn’t give him a chance to play football,” Annika says – before Ava made the varsity softball team and he settled on golf. It’s all he wants to do.

Sorenstam has explained how she loves watching him become more of a feel player than her as he experiments with his shots. She sees a natural separation from us that comes with development.

“We practice a lot together,” Sorenstam says, “but he’s also kind of a student of the game, so about a year ago, I said, ‘I think you need to find a real coach’ and he was like, ‘Well, I want to work with you.’ I said, ‘That’s fine, but then you have to listen.’ That didn’t really work out very well so he’s working with somebody.

“It’s good to get a different perspective. I love to attend some of his lessons and learn so that when we do play, I can be of help a little bit, because I know what they’re working on. … I know a little golf and sometimes he wants to talk about it and I feel like I can add some value, and sometimes I’m just his mom and let him do his thing.

“You just gotta go with the flow. He asks a lot of questions, not so much technique with me maybe, but just (about) traveling and what was your greatest shot, your most important memory. I love to have that discussion.”

Coach Steve: When is it time to stop coaching your child in sports? Ask yourself these 3 questions

‘Feel the temperature’: Put your kids in situations to succeed, fail and express themselves

Golf was hard, but Sorenstam dove into the challenge to figure it out. It was like finding a missing piece of the puzzle that formed her identity.

Playing it was fun, but then it became terrifying.

Tom and Gunilla started to see a pattern in Annika’s near-misses at tournaments. They called ahead to an upcoming one. When it was complete, Annika was asked to say something.

“My reply was, ‘Well, I didn’t win,’ and they said, ‘We know, but we’d like to hear from you,’ ” Sorenstam says.

Her heart was pumping, her palms sweating. Her dad told her to grab her seven iron and say something simple like, “I let my clubs do the talking.”

“I realized after that, ‘Oh, that was it,’ ” she says, and public speaking became easier.

“It’s interesting how parents sometimes, they say we did so well, but she or he played so poorly,” she says. “It’s like they have a third person. I think it’s really important to separate the athlete vs. the human and just really understand that the sport is helping you to grow as a human being, and not vice versa. Be able to separate that and not judge by the score.”

Her dad’s was a calculated nudge she has learned to use as a parent herself.

She likes to ask Will three questions after he plays:

How did it go?

What did you do well?

What can you do better?

“And it’s kind of up to him. I’m not going to tell him: ‘I think you should do this better,’ ” she says.

He’ll tell her something, and then say, “I got it.”

“Whether he actually knows or not, he’s telling himself, ‘That’s probably what I need to do,’ ” she says. “And I think for us, it’s worked quite well, because I want him to be accountable and responsible for his own thing, and then if he doesn’t know, then just ask me. I don’t want him to feel when we get in the car ride home that he’s like trapped in a car, and I’m bombarding him with questions. You have to kind of feel the temperature.”

Coach Steve: Tips for the car ride home. Hint: Don’t be like Andre Agassi’s dad

It’s putting the power of the experience in our kids hands for their own self-discovery, she says, no matter what our level of accomplishment. We learn with each kid when to push and when to pull back.

“Hopefully he feels the safety net, but I’m only there if he needs it,” she says. “Otherwise, I’m just gonna let him do his thing because that’s how he learns. I’ve learned that myself: If he gets in a sticky situation, or if he’s on the golf course (and) it’s not working, he can’t ask me anyway. He’s gotta try to figure it out. So I might as well try to give him all the help early on and let him learn from his mistakes.”

‘The goal is to make great individuals’: We can go the distance with sports

The message with Will is one Sorenstam emphasizes to young golfers, whom she worked with in Phoenix in May and tentatively plans to see at clinics in Denver (August) and Austin (September) through “Golf with Us.”

Bank of America is offering kids 6 to 18 a free one-year membership through June 15 to its Youth on Course program, which grants access to rounds for $5 or less at affiliated courses. The clinics are open to Youth on Course members in the market and to children from youth partner organizations like Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Sorenstam says she’s not necessarily trying to create the next superstar but use golf, or whichever sport they choose, to help unlock things like dedication, curiosity, competitiveness and attention to fitness.

“The goal is to make great individuals that represent the sport, and not so much just result and performance,” she says. “It’s really tough today with pressure and expectations. It’s better if you can build a solid foundation and then once you have that, you can go out and be successful in whatever you choose.

“There’s so many things you can do within the sport, whether it’s running an event or sports marketing or manufacturing. If you love sports, there’s so many things you can do more than just play it and you can still be around the sport.

[Don’t forget sports writing.]

To help kids find the right fit, we can be engaged from a distance while letting them learn, explore, hit and miss on their own.

Kids are more resilient than you think, especially the shy ones.

“People think that people that have done well, it’s a straight line, straight journey; that you have no issues, you’re not scared, things come really easily,” she says. “But I think we all have weaknesses that we got to work on and try to improve.”

Steve Borelli, aka Coach Steve, has been an editor and writer with USA TODAY since 1999. He spent 10 years coaching his two sons’ baseball and basketball teams. He and his wife, Colleen, are now sports parents for two high schoolers. His column is posted weekly. For his past columns, click here.

Got a question for Coach Steve you want answered in a column? Email him at sborelli@usatoday.com

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Location eyed for Kalamazoo County youth sports facility

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — The city of Kalamazoo might be the host of a new youth sports facility. Discover Kalamazoo shared the recommended location with city commissioners Monday night. The site sits between US-131 and Drake Road — right outside of Oshtemo Township. Advertisement Jane Gosch with Discover Kalamazoo said the location is within a 15-minute […]

Published

5 hours ago

June 3, 2025

Your Sports Nation

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — The city of Kalamazoo might be the host of a new youth sports facility.

Discover Kalamazoo shared the recommended location with city commissioners Monday night. The site sits between US-131 and Drake Road — right outside of Oshtemo Township.

Jane Gosch with Discover Kalamazoo said the location is within a 15-minute drive of several hotels around the county and is near a public transit line.

Plan would build youth sports facility in Kalamazoo County

The $40 million facility would be supported by hotel tax revenue and would fill a regional need for hardwood courts for basketball and volleyball games, according to organizers.

The location would still need to be brought to the county commission at meeting later this month for final approval.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.

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MLB first-round pick talks fatherhood in youth sports, Pete Rose, possible lockout

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Jeff Francoeur, in his own words, “know[s] baseball backwards and forwards.” A former first-round pick once dubbed “The Natural,” Francoeur is now an analyst for his former Atlanta Braves while doubling up as a dad to athletes. An expert of the game, it would be easy for […]

Published

6 hours ago

June 3, 2025

Your Sports Nation

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Jeff Francoeur, in his own words, “know[s] baseball backwards and forwards.”

A former first-round pick once dubbed “The Natural,” Francoeur is now an analyst for his former Atlanta Braves while doubling up as a dad to athletes.

An expert of the game, it would be easy for him to take charge of his children’s ball games. But he wants to let his kids be kids.

“Take the parents out of [youth sports] and the kids usually have a great time,” Francoeur told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. “I coach a 12U travel softball team for my daughter – all the parents think their kid should be hitting third, playing here, being this. If you took all the parents out and asked those girls to make a batting order, I bet you they can do a pretty good job of making what the batting order should be.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Jeff Francoeur (Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports)

Francoeur knows that there are a ton of parents out there who choose to live vicariously through their kids when it comes to athletics (he even admitted he can “get carried away”), and he’s not afraid to put those parents to the test.

“The first question I ask a lot of parents is, ‘What do you want out of sports for your kids?’ My mom and dad wanted me to learn to be a great teammate, how to have [a] work ethic, overcome adversity,” he added. “Parents now, there are still plenty that look at it like that, but so many look at it as a ‘win at all costs’ at such a young age. [Former Braves pitcher John Smoltz] said it best on the podcast. He said, ‘I wish there were more coaches that have the balls to worry about development over winning, especially at the younger ages.’ That gets lost, man. So many people care about the bottom line and winning. Have you ever thought ‘what’s best for my kid?’”

In fact, one of Francoeur’s kids “hates baseball” and plays lacrosse.

“Even though I know baseball backwards and forwards, and I’d love for my son to play, this is his passion, this is his dream. Who am I to sit here? I used to have to drag him to baseball practice. Lacrosse, he can have practice from 6 to 8, he’s got his stuff laid out, he’s pumped, man.”

Among his involvement in youth sports, he started the “Pure Athlete” podcast, which highlights youth sports, its parents and how it all can be pure once again. His brand recently partnered up with D1 Training to help those younger athletes be in sports for the right reasons.

“When we do this podcast stuff with young athletes, you’re trying to kind of navigate that journey. There’s so many avenues, right? There’s so many places that you can go to train, to do this, people that sell you. For me, [D1 founder] Will [Bartholomew] and those guys, though, they do it the right way, man, and they got the right people connected with them,” Francoeur said. “I love how they personalize everything; everything is specific to what you’re trying to do.

“If you’re looking at trying to get the next step in advance, that’s such a big part now. We talk to all these athletes, man, even for my career, if I look back, if there’s one thing I could have done better, it’s take care of your body, right? Train better, agility, nutrition, all that. I just think D1’s on the cutting edge of a lot of what they do.”

Former Atlanta Braves player Jeff Francoeur is shown with a Boys & Girls Club member prior to Game 3 of the 2021 World Series between the Braves and the Houston Astros. (Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports)

‘MIXED FEELINGS’

Pete Rose is now eligible for the Hall of Fame.

If, and likely when, he makes it, he won’t see it. He died last September.

Rose was placed on baseball’s ineligible list in 1989 after it was rumored he bet on baseball while he was with the Cincinnati Reds. Fifteen years after the ban, he finally admitted to doing so as a manager.

It’s since been reported he gambled as a player, but he denied that.

It may be tough for some to give “Charlie Hustle” the benefit of the doubt, but Francoeur said he’s talked to more Hall of Famers that are on the side of letting him in than not letting him in.”

“I got so many mixed feelings about that. There’s no right answer to that. It’s kind of like, man, really? You’re going to wait until he died to do that?” Francoeur said. “It’s so funny, because you remember Pete Rose said before he died, ‘When I die, they’ll make me eligible.’ Sure enough, he called it. I mean, they did.”

Rose’s Cooperstown fate will likely be decided in 2027 by the Classic Baseball Era Committee, which considers players whose careers ended more than 15 years ago. He would need 12 of the 16 votes to get in.

Cincinnati Reds manager Pete Rose, right, in 1987 (Ricky Rogers/The Tennessean/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

MLB IN DANGER?

The current collective bargaining agreement expires in December 2026, and the threat of a lockout is certainly real.

Players and owners agreed to a deal after a lockout of a little more than three months, from late 2021 into early 2022.

After the lockout came numerous rule changes that baseball purists may hate, but the numbers don’t lie. Attendance has increased in each of the last two seasons and ratings have been adequate.

Francoeur said “the pitch clock was the greatest thing [MLB Commissioner Rob] Manfred ever did.” But he said the game cannot fumble the momentum it has gained in recent years.

“To be honest with you, the only thing I think can screw this up are two things. The TV deals, we’ve got [to] make it better for fans to watch baseball again. I still have 1,000 people in Atlanta [saying], ‘How do I watch the Braves?’” Francoeur said.

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But it looks like players and owners will be battling for even longer if a deal is not reached in the next year and a half.

“And the second, I hope the union and the owners can figure it out, but it doesn’t sound great after 2026. I know deadlines drive deals, but I wish there would be more dialogue now. Let’s start talking about this now. We have 18 months to figure out what we need to do to make sure there’s not a work stoppage. Attendance is up, stadiums have so much now, but trying to figure that out is important.”

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

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Overton ISD holds annual summer basketball camp | Etvarsity

OVERTON — The Overton High School gym hosted two days of fun-filled and productive basketball camp last Tuesday and Friday. The camp featured two divisions with 75 kids from grades 4-9. Due to its size, the annual camp is typically held across four days with two divisions but this year’s schedule had to change due to […]

Published

7 hours ago

June 3, 2025

Your Sports Nation

OVERTON — The Overton High School gym hosted two days of fun-filled and productive basketball camp last Tuesday and Friday.

The camp featured two divisions with 75 kids from grades 4-9. Due to its size, the annual camp is typically held across four days with two divisions but this year’s schedule had to change due to the high school baseball team’s state semifinal playoff game taking place in the middle of the week. Head Coach Kerry McConnell rescheduled the camp for longer sessions on just two days.

“I think it went wonderfully. We were blessed this week with the fact that our boys went to the state tournament. We had to change things up a little bit and go two days instead of four and twice as long. And put all our divisions from fourth to nine together so that was kind of a logistical nightmare. But I think all my help kind of made it work,” said McConnell, referring to his group of assistants for the camp made up of other Overton coaches and current and former players. “I would love for us to have that problem every year, because that meant the baseball team going to state championships. But overall, I’ve got wonderful helpers and wonderful kids.”

Amid all the lessons on basketball fundamentals and fun games on the court, McConnell made sure to impart life lessons about discipline, fairness and good sportsmanship to the little dribblers.

“I think that’s more important than basketball to me. I know we’re trying to coach basketball, but most of these kids are not going to college sports. We want to launch them into the world with some skills and some tools to live,” said McConnell.

Rising eighth grader Isaiah Tilley said he has done this camp about three times.

“Ball handling skills, how to keep the ball protected, how to shoot and free throws,” said Tilley about what he worked on that week.

Rising ninth grader Brooks Davis participated in last year’s camp and enjoyed it so much that it inspired him to want to move to Overton ISD from Henderson ISD.

“Just everybody getting better and how we can improve our game, on and off the court,” said Davis, commenting on what he felt was the most important things they learned.

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Another banner day for Kids Golf Classic | News, Sports, Jobs

Published

7 hours ago

June 3, 2025

Your Sports Nation

: The 29th annual Kids Golf Classic, which benefits the Boys and Girls Club of Parkersburg, was held Monday at Parkersburg Country Club. The event generated a record-breaking $343,000 in proceeds which directly impact kids throughout the Mid-Ohio Valley that the Boys and Girls Club of Parkersburg serves each year. Pictured in the check presentation are, front row, front left: Lynn Reins (Boys and Girls Club of Parkersburg); Rhoni Burt (CAS Cable); Richard Adams (United Bank); Tres Ross (The Ross Foundation); and Chad Mildren (United Bank). Middle row: Chase Minnite (The PM Company); Fred Earley (Highmark West Virginia); Jason Minnite, (The PM Company); Matt Cooke (Astorg Motor Company); Ben Thomas (Bowles Rice); Randy Rogers, (Murray Sheet Metal); John Padden (Reagle & Padden); Preston Herrin (Benchmark Technology Group); and Patrick Bryan (United Bank). Back row: John Fanta (Henry Logan Children’s Home); Tom Lally (Cintas); Charlie Taylor (UCCI); Chris Davis (Matheny Motor Truck Company); and Nick Squires (Tri-State Roofing). (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

: Lynn Reins, who is the Chief Executive Officer for the Boys and Girls Club of Parkersburg, monitors the putting contest during Monday’s 29th annual Kids Golf Classic at Parkersburg Country Club. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

: Katrina Stephens from United Bank, right, takes a group photo of golfers competing at Monday’s 29th annual Kids Golf Classic at Parkersburg Country Club. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

: Jacob Wade from Mineral Wells lines up a putt as part of the putting contest at Monday’s 29th annual Kids Golf Classic at Parkersburg Country Club. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

: The support staff for Monday’s 29th annual Kids Golf Classic take a moment to pose for a group photo at Parkersburg Country Club. (Photo Provided)

: Marietta’s Jason Shuler, left, watches as Parkersburg’s Steve Matthews participates in the putting contest during Monday’s 29th annual Kids Golf Classic at Parkersburg Country Club. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

: Dave Fleming, far right, attempts a putt from the edge of the green during Monday’s 29th annual Kids Golf Classic at Parkersburg Country Club. Watching in the background are Wyn Bowden, far left, and Kyle Bowles. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

The 29th annual Kids Golf Classic, which benefits the Boys and Girls Club of Parkersburg, was held Monday at Parkersburg Country Club. The event generated a record-breaking $343,000 in proceeds which directly impact kids throughout the Mid-Ohio Valley that the Boys and Girls Club of Parkersburg serves each year. Pictured in the check presentation are, front row, front left: Lynn Reins (Boys and Girls Club of Parkersburg); Rhoni Burt (CAS Cable); Richard Adams (United Bank); Tres Ross (The Ross Foundation); and Chad Mildren (United Bank). Middle row: Chase Minnite (The PM Company); Fred Earley (Highmark West Virginia); Jason Minnite, (The PM Company); Matt Cooke (Astorg Motor Company); Ben Thomas (Bowles Rice); Randy Rogers, (Murray Sheet Metal); John Padden (Reagle & Padden); Preston Herrin (Benchmark Technology Group); and Patrick Bryan (United Bank). Back row: John Fanta (Henry Logan Children’s Home); Tom Lally (Cintas); Charlie Taylor (UCCI); Chris Davis (Matheny Motor Truck Company); and Nick Squires (Tri-State Roofing). (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

VIENNA – Everything’s coming up roses for the Boys and Girls Club of Parkersburg.

From the celebration of 60 years as a facility earlier this year to the addition of two club sites in Mineral Wells and Athens County to the record-breaking check received from Monday’s 29th annual Kids Golf Classic.

Contributions from the event, which hit a grand total of $343,000, are on the brink of reaching $5 million since the event began in 1997.

“The golf classic – every year I am amazed and overwhelmed with the support of (Chief Consumer Banking Office at United Bank Chad Mildren) and the entire team and everything they do,” said Lynn Reins, who is the Chief Executive Officer for the Boys and Girls Club of Parkersburg. “(Executive Chairman of United Bankshares, Inc. Richard Adams) is right there making sure that it is a little bit better than it was the year before.

“What we receive today is about 20% of what we need to run the club for the entire year. In one fell swoop and one event, the community always shows up and shows out for the kids. I could not be more grateful.”

Lynn Reins, who is the Chief Executive Officer for the Boys and Girls Club of Parkersburg, monitors the putting contest during Monday’s 29th annual Kids Golf Classic at Parkersburg Country Club. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

Monday’s golfers played under more-than-ideal conditions with temperatures remaining in low 70s with little humidity. Reins chuckled when she ordered these exact conditions for the first week of June.

“Last year was our 60 years of serving kiddos and we opened two new clubhouses – opened a site at Mineral Wells at Elementary,” Reins said. “We have a set classroom that is the clubhouse. They have complete access to the gym and the playground. Also opened a site in Athens County in the village of Glouster, so we are serving about 25 kids a day out there as well.

“We saw this huge increase in the number of kids we serve. We service 169 kids per day in 2024 with all three sites. So far in 2025 we are seeing 190 kids a day at those three sites. It’s been crazy. We’ve increased staff. We now have nine full-time staff members, and increasing part-time staff with those who are working directly with our kiddos.”

Reins stated the main facility at the Mary Street location, and renovations are in the works for the campus outside the building. A new playground and basketball courts are part of the project.

“Our kids deserve it – they deserve a clubhouse to be proud of,” Reins said. “We want them to know we value them and their entire community values them, and what they are going to be to this community in the future – because they are the future to the community of Parkersburg.”

Katrina Stephens from United Bank, right, takes a group photo of golfers competing at Monday’s 29th annual Kids Golf Classic at Parkersburg Country Club. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

On that note, Reins also wants the community to realize their facility is open to all social levels. There’s a stigma she wants to erase.

“There’s sometimes a stigma associated with Boys and Girls Club and what type of kids are club kids,” Reins said. “We have really worked hard the last few years to let our community know it doesn’t matter how many money your family makes, it doesn’t matter what your parent’s job titles are or what you look like.

“The club is for you and for every kid and I think we have really broke that barrier and people see the value in the club. It’s not just for kids who are struggling in the community. It’s for every kid.”

Monday marked Reins’ fifth Kids Golf Classic as representing the Boys and Girls Club of Parkersburg. In 4 ½ years on the job, her energy has created numerous opportunities. Whether it’s increasing the number of schools they transport youth from, which started at two when she arrived and now involves 20.

The club served 42 kids on average when she took the job. Currently the numbers are climbing toward 200.

Jacob Wade from Mineral Wells lines up a putt as part of the putting contest at Monday’s 29th annual Kids Golf Classic at Parkersburg Country Club. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

“It’s been this growth opportunity to serve more kids more often and that’s always our goal,” Reins said. “I’m a dreamer. Don’t know if it would happen this quick but I always knew I wanted to bring club to more kids.

Adams stated something special is in the works for next year’s event which will celebrate 30 years in their partnership and supporting local youth at the Boys and Girls Club of Parkersburg. The goal is to push career proceeds over the $5 million mark.

“When you talk about raising the bar year after year, it comes down to our people and the efforts they make,” Adams said. “All these people you see out there on the golf carts and the contacts they make raising money. And it’s the cause. The Boys and Girls Club does a great job and every year they continue to grow. We are just happy to be a part of that.

“We will have a special celebration for 30 years, that’s for sure.”

The support staff for Monday’s 29th annual Kids Golf Classic take a moment to pose for a group photo at Parkersburg Country Club. (Photo Provided)

Marietta’s Jason Shuler, left, watches as Parkersburg’s Steve Matthews participates in the putting contest during Monday’s 29th annual Kids Golf Classic at Parkersburg Country Club. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

Dave Fleming, far right, attempts a putt from the edge of the green during Monday’s 29th annual Kids Golf Classic at Parkersburg Country Club. Watching in the background are Wyn Bowden, far left, and Kyle Bowles. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)