Lt. Cmdr. Steven Moses, deputy Marine Corps Base chaplain, unleashes on a drive Wednesday during the Navy/Marine Corps Relief Society Golf Tournament at Awase Meadows Golf Course. (Fred Zimmerman / S&S)
KITANAKAGUSUKU, Okinawa — One group of servicemembers decided to hit the links to raise money for the annual Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society Fund Drive.
Nearly 50 golfers participated in the tournament at Awase Meadows Golf Course, netting nearly $1,000 for the organization, according to tournament organizer Gunnery Sgt. Lawrence Torres III. This is the second year Torres has handled the event.
“The Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society is a big deal to me,” he said. “My dad was a Marine and my mom volunteered with [NMCRS]. She would come home and tell us stories about how she would help people … that’s always stayed with me.”
Torres, an avid golfer, said when he arrived on Okinawa, he asked if he could help the NMCRS and came up with the golf tournament idea.
“This is important because I know this money is going to help somebody,” Torres said. “These guys come out here and pay double what they normally would to golf because they know it’s for a good cause.”
One golfer in Wednesday’s tournament also has experience with the NMCRS.
Lt. Cmdr. Steven Moses, deputy Marine Corps Base chaplain, was the NMCRS representative on the USS Dubuque when he was stationed at Sasebo Naval Base, Japan.
“I really appreciate that we have an organization to help sailors and Marines when they most need support,” Moses said.
The organization is most needed, he said, when there is a sudden illness or death in a servicemember’s family, and emergency travel funds are needed. “That’s one thing that sets us apart from the civilian world,” he said. “We take care of our own in a crisis situation.”
NMCRS 5K, fun run set for April 30
A Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society 5K sprint relay and kids fun run is scheduled for April 30 at 7:30 a.m., starting at the Camp Lester Fitness Center.
The fun run will kick off the event, followed by a three-person team 5K relay — each team member will run approximately one mile. Cost is $5 per runner, with all proceeds going to the NMCRS.
Prizes will be awarded to the first place all-male and all-female teams.
For more information, call the U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa’s Health Promotion office at 645-2620, or the Marine Corps Community Services Health Promotion office at 645-3910.
