Tournament volunteers are the kind of people who will happily work long days and give you your shirts if needed.
But Julia Reeves of the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship took volunteering to another level by literally donating the hair from her head to a charity.
This happened several years ago when the LPGA Tour competition in Rogers, Ark., Hosted a “Locks of Love” event. Donors contributed approximately 8 inches of their own hair to be used to help children suffering from medical hair loss. LPGA Tour players cut their hair under the supervision of professional hairdressers during the event.
“I grew my hair all year to participate,” said Reeves, who serves as the tournament’s volunteer office administrator. “I actually cried when my ponytail was cut, but it made me feel really good to do something to help the kids. I think it was the highlight of all the years I’ve worked on this tournament. “
Reeves is in his 14th year of volunteering at the Arkansas tournament. She took a week off from the print shop where she worked in 2007 and volunteered for the first time at the LPGA Tour golf tournament held near her home in Fayetteville, Ark.
And the rest, as they say, is history: in fact, 14 years spent running errands, setting up volunteer centers and tournament offices, making coffee and stocking up on coolers for fellow volunteers who make their way to the work, providing driving and parking directions for enthusiasts and players, suggesting local restaurants to out-of-town, and, in some years, dealing with extraordinary amounts of rain on an over-saturated golf course.
“That first year in 2007, Stacy Lewis unofficially won because they could only play one round of golf after all the rains and floods,” said Reeves, who spends the rest of the year working full-time in customer service. for Arkansas-based AG Russell Knives.
“I’ve been here every year of the tournament and I love it,” she added. “I’m taking a week off to volunteer and it’s the best vacation ever!”
This dedication earned Reeves recognition for his service as a 2020 volunteer candidate at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. He joins the other nominated volunteers from each LPGA tournament who are now in the running for the season winner of the AXA LPGA Volunteer Service Award. The award will be presented at the end of this season.
“Julia has been an exemplary representative and extension of the tournament staff and is the first face LPGA players, staff and event partners see when they walk into the tournament office,” said John Post, Head of Octagon event.
“His enthusiasm and love for the event is contagious and has been for over a decade,” added Post. “Her responsibilities are extensive, but Julia’s positive and kind-hearted personality never falters. It was an obvious choice to be selected for the AXA Volunteer Service Award. “
If his name is randomly selected at the end of the season, the tournament’s charity, Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter, would benefit from a $ 10,000 charitable donation from AXA.
The charity’s mission is to provide safe haven, high-quality care and hope for the future to children who have been abandoned, abused or neglected.
“It is a great honor to be nominated because volunteering in this tournament is something I love to do,” Reeves said. “If my name is selected, that money would go a long way in our community because so many people need help during the pandemic.”
Ironically, Reeves isn’t a golfer and wasn’t attracted to volunteering at the event because she’s crazy about the game.
“I can’t hit a golf ball from here on the television,” he laughed. “I can’t even play Putt-Putt very well. At least I can tell you more now than in the first year I volunteered, when I didn’t even know what a par 3 was. “
But for Reeves, who can only see LPGA pros if they stop at the tournament office or at the awards ceremony when volunteers are recognized, it’s not all about golf.
“It’s about the people,” he said. “I call it ‘reunion week’ because I can see our other volunteers coming from different places. We are like one big happy family and it’s great fun. “
Reeves admits she also likes to organize the tournament office and arrives the Saturday before tournament week to have things ready to go on Monday.
“I also love helping solve problems,” said Reeves, who has two grown children and three grandchildren. “When asked to do something, I try to do it to the best of my ability and with a smile on my face.”
Reeves has volunteered in other places. When he worked for Tyson Foods, he helped organize a sea bass fishing tournament. She has also volunteered for The First Tee and Champions for Kids.
When she interviewed for her current job, she was about a week early in the year she wanted to volunteer for the LPGA tournament. He would use vacation time, but that week off work was non-negotiable for Reeves.
“I told them, ‘If you don’t want to hire me, don’t hire me, but you need to know that I will be volunteering at this tournament,'” she said.
This kind of dedication is welcome and necessary, especially this year when the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship is organized with caution during the COVID-19 pandemic. Normally, between 700-800 volunteers work at the event. With no spectators this year fewer volunteers will be needed and more experienced volunteers will be key.
“I will do my part 110% to protect the players and other volunteers,” Reeves added. “All of us, working together, must do everything in our power to help get rid of this virus. This year will be completely different from all the other years I’ve volunteered, but I’ll still do what I’m asked to make this a great tournament. “
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The AXA LPGA Volunteer Award program will designate a top volunteer nominee for each of the LPGA tournaments. At the end of the 2020 season, the name of a volunteer will be drawn by lot. That winning volunteer’s tournament charity will receive $ 10,000 on behalf of AXA.
AXA XL, AXA’s Property & Casualty and Specialty Risk division provides insurance and risk management products and services for midsize companies to large multinationals and reinsurance solutions to insurance companies globally. AXA XL is proud to be the official sponsor of property / casualty, reinsurance, professional and automotive indemnity insurance of the LPGA. Additionally, AXA XL has partnered with LPGA for a season-long AXA LPGA Volunteer Service Award that recognizes tournament volunteers who exemplified the spirit of volunteering and went beyond expectations. For more information, visit www.axaxl.com
