Pace Center for Girls, Alachua prepares for its 26th annual golf tournament

Press release from Pace Center for Girls, Alachua

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Pace Center for Girls, Alachua is gearing up for its 26th annual charity golf tournament, presented by Pure Aesthetics. The tournament will be held on Friday, March 27th, at the Mark Bostick Course at UF.

The tournament is a well-loved signature fundraiser for Pace Alachua. Proceeds from the tournament help to fund programming for teenage girls in Alachua County. Pace’s team of educators, therapists, and counselors offers free year-round middle and high school academic services, counseling, and social, emotional, and behavioral support services for girls aged 11-17 and their families. Pace provides life-skills training, career preparation, and more. Individualized approaches are tailored to each girl’s unique strengths, life experiences, and needs. “Pace offers a uniquely holistic approach. By addressing each girl’s underlying needs through counseling and therapy, we can help them achieve academically and prepare for what’s ahead,” says Pace Alachua’s Executive Director Lori Miller.

For 25 years, UF Volleyball Coach Mary Wise was the tournament’s title name. After Coach Wise’s retirement in 2025, the tournament no longer bears her name, but she remains an avid supporter of Pace Alachua. Her successor, Coach Ryan Theis, has become a Pace Alachua advocate – speaking at the organization’s annual luncheon and participating in the holiday events at the center – and he will be present at the tournament to help send the golfers off for their shotgun starts. “It is an honor to carry on Mary’s tradition of support for Pace. Pace is not just an investment in the young women they serve; it is an investment in the future of our amazing community. Pace girls become our community’s leaders, college students, business owners, and workforce.”

As in previous years, the tournament is a scramble format and takes place on Friday, March 27th, with shotgun starts at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. The day will include a silent auction and a variety of new activities out on the course, as well as breakfast, lunch, beer from First Magnitude, ice cream from DeConna’s, pizza from Piesano’s, and beverages from Publix and Pepsico.

To register online as a golfer or sponsor, visit https://Pacegolf26.givesmart.com. To volunteer, contribute a silent auction item, or learn more, contact Kristin Kozelsky Reed, Development Director, at kristin.kozelsky@pacecenter.org