In 2018, the members of the Tulsa Southside Rotary Club created the John Benjamin Memorial Golf tournament to honor their former member’s legacy and his dedication to the community. John was a very active Rotarian and Tulsan having served as a city councilor and founder of Langenheim Park Murrah Memorial Children's Playground at 47th Street and Harvard, and Benjamin’s Biscuit Acres Dog Park at 5804 East 91st Street South.
The event, held at the Golf Club of Oklahoma in September of 2018, was a success raising $16,000 for college scholarships and $4,000 for the playground and dog park. Rotarian Mehdi Kherzri said, “Our club decided to give scholarships to college-bound children of Tulsa’s first responders who give so much back to us.”
The scholarships were presented at a special banquet held this past summer and featured speakers including Laura Benjamin, John’s wife; and Brett Brough, Rotary District 6110 assistant governor.
Southside Rotarians are making the fundraising golf tournament an annual event and the next one is scheduled for Monday, September 23, 2019, at the Golf Club of Oklahoma. The day-long event includes a round of golf, lunch catered by TiAmo’s and an auction. To register for the golf tournament, visit BenjaminGolf.com.
Recipients of the John Benjamin Memorial Golf Tournament scholarships included:
- Allyson Sharp
- Amy West
- Ashley Meeks
- Desiree Jentsch
- Emily Comfort
- Grace Rogers
- Grady Collum
- Hayden Haynes
- Journey Staffs
- Lauren Watkins
- Nicholas Chorette
- Rachel Sharp
- Racquel Jackson
- Sam Bennet
Additional scholarships were awarded to three college-bound students involved in Interact, a Rotary-sponsored service club for high school students which provides an opportunity to participate in fun and meaningful service projects. Winners included:
- Tyler Rossow
- Juan Pablo Cardenas
- Piper Stokes
Rotary is a global network of 1.2 million individuals who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change across the globe and in communities and can be found online at Rotary.org. For more information on the Tulsa Southside Rotary Club and how you can join, visit TulsaSouthsideRotary.org.
