A round of golf is usually about the score. For 4Ward, it's about something bigger.
4Ward was established in 2024 with one purpose: partner with communities to help the people struggling with mental health, whether they're teenagers, adults, seniors, or veterans. The motto is simple. Move 4Ward, past the darkness and into the light.
The Drew Stieg Aspiring Wellness Program (DSAWP), established in 2023, facilitates health and wellness through community building, shared values, education, and hands-on activity participation. It's a program built on the idea that recovery happens in connection with others, not in isolation.
The George Mason Community Center for Mental Health Awareness is the largest center of its kind at the university level in the country. Funds raised through 4Ward help support the center and the students training to become mental health therapists, work that reaches students, veterans, and seniors alike.
4Ward holds a single event each year, and it happens on Cutalong's fairways. This year's charity golf tournament brought the full course, and the full community, together.
The day mixed competition with purpose. While live music carried across the greens, hole hecklers kept golfers honest between shots. Hole-in-one prizes raised the stakes, including three $25,000 holes and a chance to win a Honda. A putting tournament rounded out the afternoon for those looking for one more shot at bragging rights.
None of it happens without the sponsors who show up year after year. This year's key sponsors included OMGTad (Oscar and Rose Valdez, Matt and Melina Rzonca, Guy and Monika Nielsen, and Tad and Kim Rzonca), Bill Page Honda, Lafayette Federal, Babbitt & Associates, and V3Gate, LLC.
Every dollar raised moves toward the same goal: helping someone find their way back into the light. Whether that's a veteran working through DSAWP's programming or a George Mason student one step closer to becoming a licensed therapist, the impact starts on Cutalong at Lake Anna and ripples out from there.
See more from the day on 4Ward's LinkedIn.
Next year's tournament returns to Cutalong on Tuesday, June 29th. Registration has sold out within the first few days each year, so early interest matters. If you'd like a spot on the list, reach out to Matt Rzonca at mattrzonca@4wardmha.org and he'll get you added.