Tournament helps family adopt orphans

Published 8:46 pm Thursday, April 28, 2016

Frank and Kim Reynolds are getting closer to their goal of raising $30,000 to adopt two Ukrainian orphans into their homes.

The Reynolds hosted a charity golf tournament at Valley Grande Golf Course Thursday to raise money for their adoption costs. Twenty-one golfers participated in seven flights of three, competing in a three-man scramble for money and other prizes.

Steve Smitherman, Ray Hollingshead and Ron Stewart won the first place prize of $500, winning by 10 strokes by shooting 18-under par.

Email newsletter signup

Jerry Smith, Donald Jones and Jesse Harris placed second, finishing eight strokes under par and earning $300.

Jones won closest to the pin and Josh Middleton and Stewart were the winners of the inside the circle competition.

Alan Yarbrough is the pastor of Crosspoint Christian Church where the Reynolds attend, and he as well as other members of the church participated in the tournament to support Frank and Kim.

Yarbrough said he has helped other members of his church adopt children from the same orphanage in Ukraine through the ministry Bridges of Faith, and he believes the Reynolds are the perfect family to adopt underprivileged children from abroad.

“Because of the heart they have for those children over in the Ukraine,” Yarbrough said. “They don’t have the opportunities that we have. We want to give them every opportunity to experience a stable home.”

Frank said he raised well over $1,000 with the charity golf tournament. Although a rainy forecast detracted some people from attending, the Reynolds still got sponsors for all 18 holes.

Frank didn’t know everyone who showed up for the tournament, but he was thankful for all the support he and his family received.

“It’s a great feeling to have that type of support from people that you know and people that you don’t know,” Frank said. “The community supported us 100 percent, so it’s been great.”

The Reynolds have already held multiple fundraisers over the past few months to raise the money to adopt Ukrainian sisters, Estella and Zlata, ages 14 and 15. In the beginning, they needed to raise $30,000, but Frank said that total was down to roughly $10,000 before the tournament began.

Friday, the Reynolds will continue their fundraising efforts by holding a family skate night at the Selma Skating Rink at 7 p.m. Both Frank and Kim are confident these fundraisers will give them close to the amount they need to move forward in their adoption process.

“The community has really done well supporting us, so I can honestly say that every one of them has been a blessing,” Kim said.

About Justin Fedich

Staff writer for The Selma Times-Journal.

email author More by Justin