Boxes and Birdies scramble aims to fund 1,000 shoeboxes

DENISON, Texas — Boxes and Birdies returns to Elevate Golf in Denison on Sunday, Sept. 27, with a goal of funding 1,000 Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes for children in Texoma and around the world. The tournament, listed on the Texoma Connect events calendar, is played in four-player teams at $400 per team. Qualifying rounds run from 1 to 4 p.m. or 4 to 7 p.m., and the top five teams overall advance to a championship round from 7 to 10 p.m. Prizes go to the first- and second-place teams. Raffles and mulligans will be available during the day, and organizers are inviting local companies to sign on as corporate sponsors. Residents who do not play golf can sponsor a single shoebox for $10. Every entry and sponsorship is aimed at the same target: 1,000 shoeboxes packed by Texoma volunteers for Operation Christmas Child, the Samaritan's Purse project that delivers gift-filled boxes to children overseas. Organizers describe the effort as 1,000 chances to put a gift in a child's hands and share hope. The event is part of a broader regional push to fill shoeboxes before the holiday collection season, and organizers say every team, sponsor and single-box donation moves the total closer to the goal. Organizers are still accepting team registrations and sponsorship commitments through the event listing. Each $400 team entry works out to $100 per player. Players can register online through the event listing, and sponsors and teams that want more information can reach the organizers through the same page. Operation Christmas Child collects the packed boxes each fall so they can be shipped in time for Christmas. Elevate Golf is located in Denison, and the scramble is one of several Texoma fundraisers on the calendar for late September.