M1 Bank was a proud sponsor of The Kaufman Fund this year. We were honored to sponsor their Annual Golf Tournament as well as their Trees for Vets event.
The Kaufman Fund was founded in 1990 in memory of Ralph Kaufman by his younger brother Wayne. Ralph was a Veteran, serving four years in the United States Air Force. After his service. Afterwards he went on to become a successful businessman, earning many prestigious awards from The Small Business Association and other organizations. However, he never forgot about those who served our country and he always honored and respected them.
Through their many programs and events TKF is able to give assistance to veterans. Above all, TKF aims to provide mental health, legal and dental assistance to their veterans. However, their support knows no bounds.
Trees for Vets
This year we gave away 300 Christmas trees and stands to Veterans and their families. The event was held at the bank’s Des Peres location. We are working with St Patrick Center, UMSL, Catholic Charities, several reserve units and others to obtain the names of Veterans to receive trees.
Annual Golf Tournament
The Ralph Kaufman Memorial Golf Tournament has been the organization’s main fundraiser for over 30 years. The support of our golfers, dinner auction, guests and sponsors has helped us raise well over 2 million dollars to support local Veterans’ charities.
The tournament is a four-person scramble held annually in the summer. The event begins with lunch followed by golf. After the golf there is a wine tasting, open bar and dinner auction. The beautiful Whitmoor Country Club has hosted the tournament since 2014.
This year TKF touched 2,000 Veterans through their 9 programs. Add in that they do legal dental medical etc for vets.
