Annual C90/ORD Golf Event
Wednesday, September 14, 2011

About five years ago members of C90 and ORD took their love of golf to another level, and have continued ever since. Teaming up with Make-a-Wish Foundation of Illinois, these area facilities have come to participate annually in the Charles Bunting Memorial golf tournament benefitting this remarkable charitable organization in support of children with life-threatening medical conditions.

On Sept. 9, NATCA participants from Chicago Tower, Chicago TRACON and several other locations, as well as golfers from various union sponsor groups such as IPA and ALPA, met at the green in Bloomingdale, Ill., for what turned out to be a perfect day for golf.

Over the last four years, the event has raised over $80,000 for Make-a-Wish, and this year was no different in the success category. Though this year the number of attendees was a little shy of last year, the golfers ended up raising around the same amount of money, in large part to NATCA EVP Trish Gilbert who won the grand prize raffle (two round-trip business class tickets on Lufthansa anywhere in Europe) and turned around and auctioned them right back off for charity. Due to the gracious efforts of all involved, this year’s total was ball-parked at approximately $24,000.

The event's organizers are proud of the great turnout they saw from across the board. “It’s all about getting everyone together,” shared Joe Rueffer (ORD), who helped put this year’s tournament together. To him, the occasion brings back a sense of camaraderie between controllers and the national airspace system users. “That is what it’s really all about – the kids. And we love to do it for them.”  

Following the event, after all the costs and donations have been calculated, a plaque is sent to the facility, which then is immediately placed on a wall within the tower. There it remains, and with several years of participation, NATCA is certainly starting to fill up a nice wall of children's wishes.

Declared Rueffer of the annual outing he admits acts as a constant reminder of all to be thankful for in life:

“It truly is an amazing event."