Fox Chapel Area Rotary's Jim Michaels a driving force behind Charity Golf Classic

The countdown is on for H.J. “Jim” Michaels.

In just a few weeks, the event chairman of the Rotary Club of Fox Chapel Area 2019 Charity Golf Classic will be winding down his to-do list and hoping for an above-par fundraiser turnout.

The May 20 event will see 100 golfers hitting the links at River Forest Country Club in Freeport.

Michaels epitomizes the Rotary motto of “Service Above Self.”

He started working on the golf outing about three months ago. He spends up to three hours a day contacting sponsors and donors.

“You couldn’t pull that off if you have a full-time job,” the former Koppers chemical engineer said.

Michaels became involved in Rotary only a few years ago when a neighbor invited him to the weekly Wednesday meetings at the Pittsburgh Field Club. There, they listen to a variety of speakers that represent community groups.

Members keep busy throughout the year performing community service. They also sponsor local scholarships.

“I bought into what they were trying to do,” Michaels said.

He enjoys the members’ company whether he is volunteering or just joining people with whom he has a lot in common.

The Fox Chapel Area Rotary has 95 members and is one of the largest chapters in southwestern Pennsylvania, he said.

This year, the golf fundraiser benefits Camp Guyasuta, the Boy Scout-owned camp in O’Hara that provides opportunities for students, children with physical limitations and corporate team-building.

The camp sustained more than $450,000 in damage in flooding last summer.

Grants in previous years have gone to Cooper-Siegel Community Library, Lauri Ann West Community Center and Backpacks for Hunger, as well as international missions of cleaning water and eliminating polio.

While Michaels enjoys a day on the golf course, he won’t be playing on May 20.

Instead, he’ll be chipping in as chairman and said part of his role is to make the day special for participants.

Benefits, indeed, extend to the players as well as the beneficiaries of the Golf Classic. This year there will be two holes with a chance for a prize. Along with a Henne Jewelers’ Rolex watch, a Schultz Ford car is up for grabs to a lucky golfer who puts the ball in with one stroke.

There will be other skill prizes, too, along with auctions and raffles.

Everyone will participate in a pre-game lunch and a post-round gathering at the country club.

For more on the golf outing, email Michaels at hjmichaels@comcast.net.

For information on the Fox Chapel Area Rotary, visit portal.clubrunner.ca/4994/.