Over 140 golfers participated in the annual Holland Employee Charitable Foundation’s (HECF) winter charity golf tournament, the Klondike Klassic. The golfers, with the help of over 60 sponsors raised $22,000 to support this year’s recipient, R3 Development.

R3 Development is a non-profit community development organization whose mission is to empower the youth of East St. Louis with job opportunities that equip them with the resources and skills necessary for success. Over its five-year history, the nonprofit has rehabbed over 20 homes and employed roughly 75 kids from East St. Louis.

“It was incredible. I don’t have words for it,” said R3 Development Executive Director Dave Kuntz. “We’re working really hard to make an impact in the East St. Louis community but it can be very expensive to rehab these homes and pay the youth who are helping us. This donation will make a significant difference in our ability to fulfill our mission work.”

Holland Construction Services President, Mike Marchal, said when selecting a beneficiary for the money each year, the Foundation looks for smaller charities without a large funding base that are doing great things in the community.

“This is an event we look forward to every year because it is so exciting to watch the faces of the recipients when they see the amount written on the check,” said Marchal. “So far, the Klondike Klassic has raised over $225,000 for local charities and we’re very proud of what these charities have been able to accomplish.”

Community and charitable support has always been a priority for Holland Construction Services. In 2015, the Holland Employee Charitable Foundation (HECF) was established with the mission of helping others in the community through donations and volunteering. The HECF is employee run and driven and, among other initiatives, made the Klondike Klassic an annual event, with funds raised going towards a local organization voted on annually by the seven-member Foundation Advisory Committee. The Holland Employee Charitable Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity as a component fund of the St. Louis Community Foundation. 

To learn more about R3 Development, go to www.r3dev.org.