Every spring, local croquet players congregate on beautifully manicured lawns near the Brays Island driving range for a croquet tournament. Owners welcome participants from around Beaufort County to take part in this important fundraiser for the AMI Kids of Beaufort program.
This year’s event, the 35th Annual AMI Kids Croquet Picnic, was a roaring success.
“I always mention that you can’t spell family without AMI,” said Mike Ingram, director of golf at Brays Island Plantation. “I am proud to share that the family showed in many ways this year, and the event was the most successful fundraising event ever.”
That family is what inspired Gilbert Patrick and his wife, Jancy, to get involved when they first bought property here at Brays.
“You always want to give back to the community that you're involved in, and we spend fifty percent of our time here at Brays,” Patrick said. “As soon as we became owners we began to hear other owners talk about what a great organization AMI Kids is, and it really doesn't take long to scratch the surface to see what a great organization this is. Summer Pingree was very instrumental as far as starting the campus here in Sheldon.”
Since 1985, AMI Kids Beaufort has hosted at-risk youth in Beaufort through a comprehensive residential program that “ensures continuous support and care and enables young men to overcome challenges, acquire vital life skills, and ultimately reunite with their families and communities,” according to the organization’s website.
“The campus serves about 40 young lads at any given time, and they have an 80 percent plus success rate of them not committing another crime,” Patrick said.
The organization receives about 75 percent of its annual budget from the state, and the rest is funded by non-governmental sources. That’s where the Brays Island family comes in.
“Of the monies raised, probably 70 percent come from Brays owners. That’s the generosity of the Brays community,” Patrick said. “The funds raised not only go to helping the day-to-day functions, but we’re also trying to raise enough money for some capital improvements to the building, which was built in the mid-80s and needed a breath of fresh air.“
The Patricks, along with fellow owner Holly Maclean, hosted the First Annual AMI Charity Concert Series - Barbecue and Bluegrass - on Friday night to kick off this year’s AMI Kids weekend event. Players and guests enjoyed a Lowcountry pig roast, a silent auction and live bluegrass music. A guest student speaker, who will be enrolling at the University of South Carolina this fall, shared his inspirational story of how the AMI organization has transformed his life.
On Saturday, 24 teams of players from around the county took to the greens in their croquet whites and battled for the Bill Berne Championship trophy while spectators enjoyed more live music and a second silent auction amidst antique cars, decorated tents, and elaborate picnics.
The highlight of the day included a guest alum student speaker, who shared his story of how AMI Kids changed his life and helped him to become successful and self-sufficient.
“It’s a fun fundraiser, and that’s really what we try to make it,” Patrick said.