Gill golf tournament breaks $300K mark for Gill Foundation

By Jen Cowart
Posted 7/25/18

By JEN COWART With the support of family, friends and volunteers, the Gill family marked PS3 Ronnie A. Gill Jr.'s 38th birthday on July 21 with the 12th Annual Gill Foundation Golf Tournament. Held for the past ten years at the Cranston Country Club, the

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Gill golf tournament breaks $300K mark for Gill Foundation

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With the support of family, friends and volunteers, the Gill family marked PS3 Ronnie A. Gill Jr.’s 38th birthday on July 21 with the 12th Annual Gill Foundation Golf Tournament. Held for the past ten years at the Cranston Country Club, the event brought in 140 golfers and 200 dinner guests and helped to push the Gill Foundation’s total monies raised to over $300,000. The money is used for scholarships for students attending college.

Although the skies were bright and the mood of all was cheerful, it did not change the fact that the Gill Foundation was started to honor the legacy of Ronnie Gill Jr., whose life was taken tragically in a Coast Guard accident just a few months before his daughter Gracie was born.

Mayor Allan Fung delivered greetings and thanks from the City of Cranston.

“Welcome everyone to the wonderful Cranston Country Club in the great city of Cranston. I’m very proud to be here once again,” Fung said. “I wanted to thank all of you once again. It’s nice to see people coming back every year to support a wonderful family, wonderful cause, in memory of a wonderful Cranstonian who gave his life for us.”

Fung reminded golfers about the important reason the tournament was taking place that day.

“As you’re out there having fun, you are supporting all the work that they’ve done. It doesn’t get any easier year after year, but I’m proud to stand with the entire family each and every year and with each endeavor that they go through because they give back so much to our community in Ronnie’s memory. Have a wonderful day, thank you each and every one of you for your support,” Fung said.

According to Ronnie Gill’s father, Ron Gill Sr., the days don’t get any easier for the Gill Family, but the support from family and friends on difficult days such as this one help to make it more bearable.

Gill addressed the crowd of golfers in their carts, surrounded by his family, thanking those at the Cranston Country Club for their continued support, the golfers and the supporters of the Gill Foundation’s annual events.

“It doesn’t get any easier, but especially today, because 38 years ago Rosemary and I were blessed with the birth of our first child, Ronnie, and I know that we all miss him every single day. I know that for my wife and I, his daughter Gracie, [his niece] A’driana, my son Jonathan, it never stops,” he said. “But, on days like this where we can get together with some people that help support his foundation, it takes some of the pain away. This year we broke the $300,000 mark and 235 students have received scholarships from Ronnie’s foundation. It wouldn’t be possible without people like you. I just can’t say enough that year after year we get a nice crowd and I just can’t say enough that it makes our heart feel a lot better.”

Incentives, prizes and insurances were donated by supporters of the event, including a prize at the fourth hole of a 2018 Honda Accord courtesy of Herb Chambers, a $10K split the pot prize at the 15th hole for the first hole in one scored. There was also a putting contest with a split the pot prize and raffle and auction prizes during the dinner event after the tournament.

To learn more about the Gill Foundation and its upcoming events, visit the website at rongilljr.org.

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