30th Golf Classic Gala Recap
September 16, 2026
Thank you, donors and supporters, for 30 Years Together!
On August 24, friends of Homeward Bound came together at Minnesota Valley Country Club to celebrate a milestone 30th Anniversary of our Golf Classic & Gala.
After all our event expenses were paid, you helped raise more than $87,000 and counting for Homeward Bound.
For three decades, the Golf Classic Fundraiser has been a signature event for Homeward Bound bringing together golfers, sponsors, volunteers, families, partners, board members and friends who believe in the mission of providing innovative and life-enriching services to people with disabilities.
Throughout the evening, guests heard directly from Homeward Bound staff and residents about the opportunities that can arise when barriers are removed. Staff recounted stories from their recent trips and adventured for the audience gathered leading to our first ever Live Ask benefiting the Adventure Club Fund. Thanks to everyone gathered we raised over $20,000 in pledges and gifts to support recreation and travel opportunities for the people we serve.
And we aren’t finished yet. You can still help by making a one time or re-occurring gift to Adventure Club.
Every contribution helps open the door to another adventure someone may never have thought possible.
A Milestone Worth Celebrating
This year’s celebration also gave us an opportunity to recognize some of the people and organizations whose commitment continues to move Homeward Bound forward.
We were honored to recognize Terry Severns-Williams with the Community Service Award and Wayne Larson with the Legacy Award, honoring his extraordinary role as Homeward Bound’s first Executive Director, a founding member, and a parent and guardian whose leadership helped shape the organization we know today.
We also celebrated Breck School as Service Partner of the Year, Darling Little Farms with the Mission Impact Award, and WA Group as Vendor of the Year.
And, of course, Dan “The Common Man” Cole of KFAN returned to lead us through the evening as our longtime event host.
On the course, congratulations go to our first-place Kraus-Anderson team of Matt Akin, Justin Voerster, Aaron Zabel and Dave Hendel, who finished at 61 and won the tiebreaker on Hole 17.
Field-event honors went to Edgar Rapoport for Closest to the Pin, Jay Blanchard for Men’s Longest Drive, Sabrina Radke for Women’s Longest Drive and Jim Rikkers for Longest Putt.
To our sponsors, golfers, gala guests, donors, volunteers, board members, partners and friends: thank you for making our 30th Anniversary Golf Classic & Gala one to remember—and for helping create what comes next.
Enjoy our Thank You video!
