Matt Graf Golf Outing marks 10th year; dinner tickets still available

The annual Matt Graf Golf Outing will be held June 6 at Pittsburgh North Golf Club in Richland.

While golfer participation was sold out, tickets for the dinner catered by Walnut Grill are still available and can be bought online at hm3independencefund.org.

The dinner is scheduled for 6:30 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $55 per person.

A number of auction items will be available for bid online, and there will be other prizes, baskets and raffles at the dinner.

This marks the 10th year for the outing named for Graf, who was 18 and a senior a few weeks away from graduating from Pine-Richland High School when he died in May 2013.

The oldest of Katie and Tom Graf’s three children, Matt lettered in baseball and wrestling and was on the high school golf team. He was planning to play baseball at the University of Pittsburgh’s Greensburg campus.

The family created the golf outing in his name and use its proceeds to provide scholarships for students and support other community causes. The first outing was held in 2015, and it has sold out every year.

The Graf family has given $20,000 to the UPMC Children’s Hospital Foundation under the Matt Graf Behavior Health Fund, which supports outpatient mental health needs of children in Pittsburgh and surrounding communities. The family will be making another $10,000 contribution to the fund this year.

Proceeds from the outing also have supported various scholarships to Pine-Richland students, local charities and other organizations that support mental health.