5th Annual Van Horn Gives Golf Outing Donates $35,000 to Nonprofits

Sheboygan, WI – September 20, 2026 – Van Horn Automotive Group hosted its 5th Annual Van Horn Gives Golf Outing on Sunday, September 20, at Town & Country Golf Course, raising $35,000 to support nonprofit organizations selected by participating golf teams.

Despite a windy day on the course, the event brought together more than 40 teams of Van Horn employee-owners, sponsors, business partners, volunteers, and friends for a day of golf and giving back.

Through the outing’s Pay It Forward program, teams competed for the opportunity to direct donations to nonprofit organizations meaningful to them. In addition to the first-, second-, and third-place teams, three teams were randomly selected to Pay It Forward, giving even more golfers the opportunity to make an impact.

This year’s $35,000 donation total marks another year of growth for the outing, following $20,000 donated through the event in 2025.

Winning Teams and Charitable Impact

• 1st Place – Brian Wieland’s Team: Earned $10,000 to Pay It Forward, supporting Samaritan’s Hand, Blandine House, and United Way of Sheboygan County.
• 2nd Place – Brad Knight’s Team: Selected St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to receive $7,500.
• 3rd Place – Tim Rice’s Team: Selected Project Angel Hugs to receive $5,000.
• Random Drawing: Selected Dogs2DogTags to receive $5,000.
• Random Drawing: Selected the YMCA to receive $4,000.
• Random Drawing: Selected United Way of Sheboygan County’s PATH Program to receive $3,500.

In total, $35,000 was Paid Forward, supporting organizations making an impact locally and beyond.

Connecting Our Golfers with the Community

This year, Van Horn Gives continued to grow the community involvement portion of the outing by inviting nonprofit organizations and community partners to join golfers directly on the course.

Big Brothers Big Sisters WI Shoreline, Dogs2DogTags, Habitat for Humanity Lakeside, United Way of Sheboygan County, Plymouth Advancement Association, and Wisconsin State Auto Auction spent the day interacting with golfers, sharing more about their work, and adding games and activities throughout the course.

While not every organization represented on the course was selected for a Pay It Forward donation, their involvement served a larger purpose: creating connections between Van Horn employee-owners and organizations serving the communities where they live and work.

The goal is for those introductions to extend beyond the golf outing and create opportunities for future volunteering, partnerships, donations, and employee involvement throughout the year.

Sponsor Recognition

Van Horn Automotive Group extends sincere gratitude to the sponsors whose generosity helped make this year’s $35,000 Pay It Forward impact possible:

• Platinum Sponsor: Zurich
• Gold Sponsor: Autosled
• Silver Sponsor: Wells Fargo
• Bronze Sponsors: Cornerstone One, Podium
• Volunteer Sponsor: Tekion
• Driving Range Sponsor: MotoAcquire
• After Party Sponsor: Keller
• Lunch Sponsor: Wisconsin State Auto Auction
• Drink Sponsor: Connection TI
• Hole-in-One Sponsor: Sommersberger Group

Van Horn Gives also thanks the many additional businesses and partners that contributed sponsorships, prizes, resources, and volunteer support throughout the outing.

Paying It Forward Beyond the Course

The Pay It Forward experience will continue beyond the golf outing.

Over the coming weeks, Van Horn Gives will work with the selected nonprofit organizations and winning teams to coordinate check presentations. Whenever possible, members of the teams will have the opportunity to personally present their donations, meet representatives from the organizations they selected, and learn more about how their Pay It Forward dollars will make an impact.

The goal is to make the experience about more than writing a check — it’s an opportunity for Van Horn employee-owners to build stronger connections with the organizations they chose to support and see firsthand the work happening in their communities.

What started as a windy day on the golf course ended with $35,000 being Paid Forward to organizations making a difference.

Van Horn Automotive Group thanks every golfer, sponsor, volunteer, nonprofit organization, and community partner who helped make the 5th Annual Van Horn Gives Golf Outing a success.

Save the date: The 6th Annual Van Horn Gives Golf Outing is scheduled for Sunday, September 12, 2027.

About Van Horn Automotive Group

Van Horn Automotive Group, Inc. is a family-born, employee-owned automotive group headquartered in Plymouth, Wisconsin. Founded in 1966 by Joe Van Horn as a single Chevrolet dealership, Van Horn Automotive Group has grown to serve communities throughout Wisconsin. Through Van Horn Gives, its employee-owners continue to support nonprofit organizations, volunteer initiatives, and community partnerships throughout the areas Van Horn serves.