From staff reports
The 32nd annual AMIkids Beaufort Croquet Picnic at Brays Island is set for May 6 and will host croquet players and fun lovers from across the Lowcountry to raise money for the residential education and treatment program for boys who made bad choices.
AMIkids is part of a national organization but is locally governed. For 31 years, the Croquet Picnic has been the primary means of raising local money to help the program succeed.
“This is a huge effort, but the young men we serve and our staff deserve everything we can do to help,” said John Williams, chair of the local AMIkids Beaufort board of trustees, in a news release. “We couldn’t do this without the support and partnership with Brays Island – they have stood beside us for more than three decades.”
The AMIkids model pays off: Young men who complete AMIkids typically don’t run afoul of the law, and many leave the program with job training such as nationally recognized certificates in welding and food service.
In Beaufort, a federal YouthBuild grant, partnership with Low Country Habitat for Humanity, and a new carpentry workshop provide added skills and hands-on learning. Teens convicted of crimes can be assigned to AMIkids through the Department of Juvenile Justice. Students work toward their high school equivalency diplomas, also known as the GED.
Each year, Brays Island and its owners donate the golf course practice range in which eight 30-by-40-foot croquet courts are groomed to the finest playing conditions for the event, Williams said.
“This is a spectacular setting for croquet, and our program truly appreciates Brays Island and its residents for letting us use this area,” said Mike Ingram, a board member at AMIkids Beaufort, co-chair of the croquet event, and Director of Golf at Brays Island.
The May 6 Croquet Picnic will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Brays Island off U.S. 17 in Sheldon, about 15 miles west of Beaufort. A “Captain’s Party” for all participants will be held the evening of May 5 at a waterfront home in Beaufort’s Spanish Point.
Teams of four to eight people compete in the friendly croquet tournament, said Dr. Mike Harris, a board member and co-chair of the AMIkids Beaufort Croquet Picnic. While some experienced teams participate, most teams are there just for the fun, the friendship and a beautiful day of picnicking at Brays Island, he said.
“We have been doing this event for a lot of years, but each year brings new faces, new challenges and new opportunities,” Dr. Harris said. “It’s really something we know a lot of people look forward to and it kind of kicks off the Lowcountry Summer Season in a fantastic fashion.”
For more information or to sign up a croquet team, call Harris at 843-524-3770 or Ingram at 843-846-3149. To learn more about AMIkids Beaufort, visit www.amikidsbeaufort.org.
