Waterford Foundation 39th Annual Golf Outing
NEWS RELEASE
Waterford Foundation for Public Education, P.O. Box 300681, Waterford, MI 48330
Rhonda Lessel, Communications Specialist
Phone: (248) 292.1041 | Email: wfpe001@gmail.com
For Immediate Release
Waterford Foundation for Public Education Golf Outing Scheduled Honoring Dave Bennett, Waterford Kettering Graduate and Clarinet Virtuoso January 28, 2026, Waterford, Mich. – The Waterford Foundation for Public Education will hold its Annual Golf Outing on Tuesday, June 9, 8:00 a.m. shotgun start at Fountains Golf and Banquet Center in Clarkston. Each year the Waterford Foundation honors an outstanding individual who has achieved success and is active in service to the Waterford community. This year Dave Bennett, Waterford Kettering graduate and clarinet virtuoso, will be honored. Bennett has conducted workshops for Waterford high school students demonstrating the progression from jazz to rock.
Bennett began his national touring career at 14 and has been a featured soloist at Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops and with 35 other US and Canadian orchestras. He is also a recording artist on jazz label Mack Avenue Records. His second release, Blue Moon, reached #24 on the Billboard Jazz charts in 2018. Bennett has been featured on NPR Radio’s “Jazz at Riverwalk.” He made his European debut in 2008 at The Bern Jazz Festival (Switzerland) in a combo with jazz legends and Benny Goodman alumni guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli and vibraphonist Peter Appleyard. He has also shared the stage with Ken Peplowski, Byron Stripling, Marcus Printup, Aaron Diehl, and Bria Skonberg. He was a soloist on several jazz cruises, performing with Harry Allen, Warren Vache, Allan Vache, Banu Gibson, and Tardo Hammer.
Established in 1984, the mission of the Waterford Foundation is to recognize and promote excellence in teaching and learning. The Waterford Foundation was created to generate private funding, in the form of grants, to support innovative curricular programs not funded through the Waterford School District. The Waterford Foundation has awarded over $2 million to the staff and students of the district to finance research and equipment, special materials, science and math workshops, and a variety of instructional projects and programs.
The Waterford Foundation operates through contributions, grants, memorials,and fundraisers. Other Waterford Foundation recognition programs include Teacher of the Year, Select 50, the Al Dittrich Memorial Scholarship, and the Waterford Durant High School Most Improved Award. All Waterford Foundation board members are volunteers.
Sponsors for this event include Barton Malow, French, and Lunghamer Chevrolet of Waterford, Presenting Sponsors; Ohana Wealth Advisory, Silver Sponsor; Tom & Gail Wiseman and Michigan United Credit Union, Bronze Sponsors. Registration is happening now. For golf outing ticket information or sponsorship inquiries visit www.wsdmi.org/wfpe. All donations are tax deductible.
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Join us for the 39th Annual Waterford Foundation Golf Outing! If you're a golfer, bring a team. If you would like to attend the banquet only following golf, we would love to have you! And if you simply want to be sponsor, we would be appreciative of the support.
The Waterford Foundation Golf Outing is not only a fundraising event, but also a recognition event in which a Waterford graduate or outstanding community member is recognized for his or her achievements and their commitment to community service. Past honorees have included business owners, professional athletes, and civic leaders. Dave Bennett is a Waterford Kettering graduate and a clarinet virtuoso who breaks from his Swing Era repertoire to sing rockabilly hits while accompanying himself at the piano or electric guitar.
