By Dan Holdhusen, Grandfather of three graduates and one currently enrolled in Blue Valley High School
All photos credited to Noah Johnson

It’s never too early to begin thinking about the Father’s Club signature fundraising event of the year – the 15^th annual Mission Cup coming up later this year on August 29^th and September 6^th. This year’s event will have a different look and format than in previous years. A major change to the schedule and format is that there will NOT be an afterparty or auction. Instead, the event will include TWO opportunities to golf on separate dates and courses.

There is no better way than to spend time with your friends and colleagues to have fun and donate money to a great cause!

TO REGISTER: Please click here!

Father’s Club celebrated a major milestone anniversary last year and has gained numbers and influence each and every year. We rely on the goodwill and giving hearts of those who believe in the mission of Father’s Club. We rely on dads in the community who are committed to seeing more and more dads becoming increasingly involved in the lives of their kids. We also rely on men who are supporting and partnering with other community and national partners to offer support for the students and teachers of the great schools in the Kansas City metro area.

Here are the two options for golfing this year!

August 29, 2024 at Sycamore Ridge Golf Course

An additional golfing event and venue will be offered this year on a beautiful course a short drive southwest of the metro. Sycamore Ridge Golf Course bills itself as “one of Kansas City’s premier public golf courses with its stunning combination of bent grass, white sand bunkers and 18 holes of exciting and challenging play.” Specifics about this event include:

• Location: Sycamore Ridge Golf Course, 21731 Club House Drive in Spring Hill, KS
• Date: Thursday, August 29, 2024
• Registration: Same as the Eagles Landing event, participants are encouraged to pre-register here
• Check-In and registration on the day of the event begins at 8:30 a.m.
• Cost: $800/Team (four golfers)
• Shotgun Start begins at 10 a.m.
• Unlimited drinks and food for all golfers and sponsors
• Prizes on each hole, challenge games, and prizes/award for two flights
• Just like the Eagles Landing event, there will be ample food, and drink, and an awards ceremony to bring the event to a rousing conclusion.

September 6, 2024 at Eagles’ Landing

This has been the venue of Mission Cup events in the past and is actually a carryover from a great benefit tourney that was organized fifteen years ago. Details regarding this event include:

• Location: Eagles’ Landing, the OG (15 years)
• Date: Friday, September 6, 2024
• Registration: Participants are encouraged to pre-register online at this site
• Check-In and Registration Day of Event:Opens at 8:30 a.m.
• Cost:$600/Team (four golfers)
• Shotgun Start:Begins at 10 a.m.
• Food/Drinks: Unlimited drinks and food for all golfers and sponsors
• Prizes:Excellent prizes for each hole, challenge games, and prizes for two flights
• Awards Ceremony:After the round at the course, includes food, drink, and prizes to wrap up an enjoyable day!

TO REGISTER: Please click here!

Do not delay! Mark your calendars NOW! Register TODAY to reserve your place and your team for this year’s Mission Cup fundraising events! Attend one or BOTH. As always, 100 percent of the proceeds of the 2024 Mission Cup events will go to advance the mission and cause of Father’s Club.

By Mike Rothwell, Board Member/Director of Community Partners for Father’s Club

The Father’s Club’s mission is so simple. Sometimes it seems foolish that even the small little things matter. Often I wonder how impactful it really is to pass out a Chick Fil A sandwich and a fist bump to students as they enter their school building. Does it really matter to ask another dad to grab coffee and talk about the battles of life and fatherhood? Do our teachers and administrators really think we are making a difference by showing up at school and handing out fruit snacks and engaging in conversation with students?  

The answer is YES! The little moments of intentionality really do matter. It’s hard to explain, but when a Dad shows up, impact happens. And that is what we do. We encourage Dads to be intentional and simply show up. First at home, and then in the communities they serve.

In the summer of 2023, the Father’s Club locked arms with F3 Kansas City. (One of our four key community resources.) We decided to try out a new concept called Soccer Saturdays. It was simple.  Just the way we like it.

Soccer Saturdays

One Saturday a month, Dads from the KC Metro were invited to play soccer. Dads just showed up and played. Dads invited their sons to join them for some fun. The hardest part was convincing your child to get up at 7am to go play soccer with Dad. To seal the deal for the father-son experience was an amazing breakfast afterwards together at Price Chopper.  Yes, Price Chopper has an amazing, affordable breakfast.

Early on it was just a bunch of men showing up for a good time and some great fellowship. As the summer went on, more and more dads heard about what was happening. More and more young men started to show up alongside their fathers. By the end of the summer, we had 48 dudes playing soccer and held a classic Fathers vs Sons match. To be fair, the fathers snagged a few young adults to assist in making the playing field a bit more fair. We even had moms, fans and the high school band coming out to witness this beautiful game of Dads vs Kids.

As you would expect, the Dads prevailed victorious on a last second goal.  

We are more than encouraged by the strengthened relationships being built amongst fathers and sons in our community. We are so thankful for the leadership our friends at F3 Kansas City provide to make moments like this possible. We encourage all men to come check out Soccer Saturdays. We have several dates on the books for the remainder of the year.

Mark your calendars now and come check it out for yourself!

We look forward to seeing you on the pitch. Right Here.  Right Now.  You Matter.

Soccer Saturday Dates For The Remainder of 2023

When: The following Saturdays from 7am-8am (Breakfast Postgame at Price Chopper)

• 9/30/23
• 10/14/23
• 11/18/23
• 12/16/23

Where: All the Soccer Saturday games are at the Blue Valley High School football field.
Directions: Google Maps

We hope to see you there!

By Mike Rothwell, Board Member/Director of Community Partners for Father’s Club

The Father’s Club is a dad-led, grassroots effort creating simple ways for dads to be intentional with their kids, with other dads and within their community.

SIGN UP FOR THE MISSION CUP GOLF TOURNAMENT HERE TODAY!

Since August 2018,  Father’s Club has:

• Launched 28 high school and middle school chapters in the metro KC-area
• Registered over 1,700 dads with Father’s Club
• Handed out over 15,000 breakfast items to kids
• Gotten over 130 dads certified in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training
• Father’s Club was recently honored by both the Blue Valley School District Board and the Lee’s Summit School Board for our partnership efforts.
• and many, many other initiatives

SIGN UP FOR THE MISSION CUP GOLF TOURNAMENT HERE TODAY!

The Mission Cup Golf Tournament

Every year, our one big fundraiser is our Mission Cup golf tournament, where 100% of funds raised go to benefit Father’s Club.

Mission Cup has been supported with participation and sponsorship in past years by some great KC fathers & companies!

This year, the tournament will be held on Friday, September 8. Then, on Saturday night September 9 we will hold our Mission Cup Party & Auction for players and spouses at the Chicken N Pickle in Overland Park.  

Now is the time to recruit your team and register to play. If you don’t play golf, that is cool. Please come celebrate with us at the Mission Cup Party & Auction.

To register your team or buy a ticket to the Mission Cup Party JUST CLICK HERE

We are still seeking more amazing sponsors and auction items. If you are interested in partnering with us in our mission please email randy.bratton@fathersclub.org.  

Father’s Club is having an impact, and the KC community is taking notice.

You can learn more about Father’s Club and Mission Cup below:

• Blog recap of 2021 Mission Cup tournament
• Check out this short video
• Website
• YouTube
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter

Father’s Club, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization.

Thank you for your consideration, and please reach out to Randy with any questions!

By Randy Bratton, Board Member/Director of Campus Growth for Father’s Club

Some of you guys may not know it, but the Mission Cup is Father’s Club one BIG fundraiser per year. Last year, we raised over $50,000 with a couple of backup QB’s and reserves (no complaints, because it’s fun.) This year, we are looking for some all-stars to help us blow through our fundraising goal of $100,000. Crazy, I know, but if we get a couple ‘Mahomes’ or ‘Kelces’ on board we’ll beat and exceed that number!

Father’s Club has been blessed with hundreds of dads from all walks of life, and we appreciate you all! Some of you have massive professional networks of companies and business owners that are just waiting to be asked to support a good cause.

The Ask

So here comes the ASK… Will you set aside just a few hours over the next 6 months and join the 2023 Father’s Club Mission Cup team? Will you pick up the phone, or send an email to ask for corporate sponsorships? Would you be willing to ask for auction or raffle items?

If your school, community, or family has been impacted by the good work of Father’s Club, I’m asking you to give back with your time and talents. We will provide you with the talking points on all the ways Father’s Club is making a difference, and all the info you need to promote the tournament and the cause!

Next Step

To get started, simply click on this Sign Up Genius link:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C094AAEAB2BA6FDC61-mission

THANK YOU! We can’t do it without your help.

By Mike Rothwell, Board Member/Director of Community Partners for Father’s Club

Dads throughout the KC Metro, you will want to block time on your calendar for September 9th and 10th. The Mission Cup golf event is back in 2022 and will be better than ever. This year we will be playing on two different courses to accommodate the large number of golfers that will #ShowUp to support the Mission of The Father’s Club. Together, we are committed to creating simple ways for dads to be intentional with each other, kids and the communities we are called to serve.

The Golf will be a shotgun start at 8am on Friday, September 9th.

The classic After Party will be at Chicken N Pickle on Saturday, September 10th at 6pm.

CLICK HERE to see all the details and register to play.

We need your help in making the Mission Cup the biggest it’s ever been this year!  This is our primary fundraiser to support our operating budget. We have a goal of raising $50,000 to fund our operating budget and expand our mission to more dads throughout the region.

Mission Cup has been supported with participation and sponsorship from such great KC names as Country Club Bank, JE Dunn, Prime Capital Investment Advisors, Nexus 5 Group, 810 Radio, Nick and Jake’s, Kansas Speedway, The Roasterie, and many more. Father’s Club is having an impact, and the KC community is taking notice.   

HERE IS HOW YOU CAN HELP:

• REGISTER TO PLAY
• BE A SPONSOR
• PROVIDE AUCTION and RAFFLE ITEMS
• PROVIDER SWAG BAG ITEMS FOR PARTICIPANTS
• RECRUIT A VOLUNTEER FOR TOURNAMENT & AFTER PARTY

PLEASE EMAIL RANDY BRATTON FOR MORE INFORMATION – randy.bratton@fathersclub.org