Beacon House preparing for U.P. Celebrity Golf Classic

MARQUETTE — After months of hard work, the Beacon House is preparing for one of the Upper Peninsula’s biggest events of the year, the U.P. Celebrity Golf Classic.

Celebrities from across the World will be visiting the Marquette Golf Club on June 21st to not only play golf but have fun while raising money for a good cause. One notable change at this year’s epic tournament, will be two separate one million dollar hole opportunities. In regards to the celebrities that will be making an appearance at the event, it is assured they will be the best of the best.

This tournament is all about helping families who may be facing a crisis and need to turn to the Beacon House for support, along with the volunteers who make it all happen.

“I think my favorite part is when we’ve eaten all the food, partied all the parties, we’ve auctioned all the stuff, and everybody just had a great time, but then at the end we get to bring everybody up on the stage that helped put it together. We thank them and give them the recognition for the hundreds of volunteer hours that have gone into this. It’s just a dedicated staff,” said Beacon House CEO, Mary Dowling.

Currently, the organization is working on bringing together sponsors, golfers, and celebrities. To keep up to date on the Celebrity Golf Classic, you can check out the Beacon House App, which is titled U.P. Beacon House.


MARQUETTE — It’s the Upper Peninsula’s biggest event of the year: the Hospitality House of the Upper Peninsula (HHUP) is finalizing plans for the 7th annual U.P. Celebrity Golf Classic (UPCGC) for Beacon House.

On June 21st, celebrities from around the world ascend onto the Marquette Golf Club in the Upper Peninsula to play and party for a wonderful cause. The event raises one third of Beacon House’s annual operational costs. Organizers of the event are especially excited for this year’s tournament, themed ‘Epic.’

“We love hearing how much people enjoy this event,” said Mary Tavernini Dowling, CEO of HHUP. “This year, we hope to attract more golfers from around the U.P., as these are the communities that Beacon House services and it’s a great way to show their support.”

The organization is in the process of bringing together sponsors, golfers, vendors, and of course, celebrities that make this event unique.

“We’re unable to put this event on without the generosity of so many people,” said Dowling. “We invite new and established businesses to donate to Beacon House, all-the-while having the time of their lives with sports and entertainment celebrities.”

On Marquette Golf Club’s Greywalls course, 36 teams of sponsors and golfers are matched on a team of four with one celebrity for 18 epic holes. A professional golf clinic precedes the festivities with co-host Jay Feely. The Heritage course hosts teams of five golfers on the slightly less challenging of the two courses.

The entire event is co-hosted by U.P. native and Beacon House honorary board member, Steve Mariucci.

“When my mom was battling cancer, we could have stayed anywhere. We stayed at Beacon House,” said Steve Mariucci. “That’s why I support this cause, and that’s why this event is important to me.”

Who are the other celebrities? It’s something Beacon House keeps a tight lid on, until days before the event.

“That’s part of the fun,” said Dowling. “The surprise matching of celebrities and donors is something we celebrate during the Match Party, the night prior to the golf tournament.”

Dowling has been known to attract some big names in sports and entertainment. The roster in the past included Jay Feely, Mason Crosby, Marshall Faulk, and Brett Michaels.

Mariucci, Feely, and Dowling do a lot of the recruiting through networking and direct marketing, but organizers this year are also enhancing the process through a free downloadable UP Beacon House digital app.

“We wanted to make it easy for sponsors and golfers to sign up, so we updated our digital app,” said Andrew Lorinser of Beacon House. “You can download it through Google Play or the Apple App Store, and you can register directly from your phone. It’s so easy!”

Some classic Beacon House fundraising traditions include a giant crane-ascended ping pong ball drop, and a silent and live celebrity auction. The event promises to include some epic surprises, including a $1 million Hole in One contest.

For more information or to sign up a team visit upbh.org/upcgc.

Beacon House becomes a “Home away from home” for patients and families that travel across the U.P. to receive specialty medical care at U.P. Health System- Marquette and the Upper Peninsula Medical Center. The private, nonprofit, donation-based organization ensures that families never have to ask, “Where am I going to stay and how am I ever going to be able to afford it?” during a medical crisis.