CUMBERLAND HEIGHTS’ ANNUAL REACHING NEW HEIGHTS LUNCHEON TO FEATURE LAURA BAUGH, FORMER LPGA PRO AND AUTHOR OF “OUT OF THE ROUGH”
NASHVILLE, TENN. – Feb. 20, 2017 – The annual Reaching New Heights Luncheon to benefit nonprofit Cumberland Heights will be Tuesday, April 11 at 11:30 am at Nashville’s Hillwood Country Club. This year’s guest speaker is Laura Baugh, former LPGA pro and author of Out of the Rough.
This annual women’s event is an important fundraiser for the alcohol and drug-addiction recovery center. The mission of Reaching New Heights is to highlight the women’s programs at Cumberland Heights, raise funds to help women in treatment, and celebrate those women in our families and community who are experiencing their own recovery one day at a time.
Cumberland Heights’ Reaching New Heights was recently named “Most Inspiring” in nFocus’ “Best Parties of 2017” awards issue. For this and many other reasons, this event is always popular in the Nashville community, and tickets sell out early.
The luncheon co-chairs are Monica McDougall and Sally Nesbitt, and they have a committee of about three-dozen volunteers working on the event.
This year’s Sheila Keeble Award recipient is Janice Lovvorn. This annual award is given to honor a woman who has made a difference in the recovery community. Past recipients Cindy Caudle, Leslie Dabrowiak, Lake Eakin, Elizabeth Fox, Stephanie Ingram, Genie Laurent and Eleanor Templeton. All were honored at the women’s luncheons of the past, and Lovvorn will be added to this list of honorees at this year’s event.
Keynote speaker Laura Baugh was one of the most promising young woman golfers in the early 1970s, having been the Los Angeles city champion at the age of 14, the U.S. Amateur champion at 16 and the 1973 LPGA Rookie of the Year. In 1999, she wrote Out of the Rough, an intimate story about her struggles with fame and alcoholism. Baugh sought treatment at the Betty Ford Clinic in 1996 after her alcoholism threatened her life. Today, she lives in Ponte Vedra, Fla and is an inspiring speaker, golf instructor, and mother of seven.
“Nonprofit Cumberland Heights relies on support from our many generous donors and sponsors to support programs that help women seeking recovery from alcohol and drug addiction,” said Martha Farabee, chief development and marketing officer at Cumberland Heights. “The luncheon would not be possible without the group of benefactors and committee members who help make this luncheon a big success every year. We are very excited to have inspirational author Laura Baugh join us as our speaker. I know the attendees will come away from the luncheon not only entertained but inspired and moved by her story.”
More about Laura Baugh
Laura Baugh was the LGPA Rookie of the Year in 1973, after earning her LPGA tour card on her first attempt and finishing second in her first LPGA tournament.
During her professional golf career from 1973 through 2001, Baugh earned 71 top-10 finishes, including ten runners-up.
Despite her successful start and prodigious talent, Baugh suffered from alcoholism and emotional problems and never won an LPGA tournament. In 1996, she sought treatment at the Betty Ford Clinic when her drinking could have ended her life.
In 1999, she authored Out of the Rough: An Intimate Portrait of Laura Baugh and Her Sobering Journey, a book about her struggles and recovery.
Later in her career, she became a member of the Women’s Senior Golf Tour and has worked as a television announcer for The Golf Channel.
