Microsoft’s Golf Tournament Raises Funds for Seattle’s Poet-Athletes

John Studebaker
Oct 22
2 min read

On October 10, Seattle SCORES joined Microsoft at Willows Run Gold Course in Redmond, Washington for a golf tournament fundraiser.

The event raised money for Seattle SCORES programming to support the provision of soccer gear and equipment as well as writing tools for our Poet-Athletes. They will also support training for SCORES coaches.

Matthew Ng, Director of Franchise Quality at Microsoft and a Board member of Canada SCORES (an affiliate of the SCORES Network), took the lead in making Seattle SCORES the key beneficiary of the tournament.

“Seattle SCORES and SCORES affiliates do such amazing work with kids,” Matt shares. “The measurable impact you see through sports and especially self-exploration with poetry and service learning called me to bring this to my colleagues at Microsoft.”

Over 30 Microsoft employees gathered on the green to listen to Seattle SCORES Executive Director Sangeeta Gogri share the importance of Seattle SCORES’s impact on its Poet-Athletes. The organization doesn’t begin and end with the amazing fact that 96% of participants avoid missing school just so they can attend SCORES programming.

Sangeeta also illustrated how Seattle SCORES’ work addresses the urgency of Washington State’s public-school landscape: from a projected budget fall of $100 million for the 2026-27 school year to the reality of K-12 education falling to the 27^th in the country (notably the bottom half of 50 states), there is a real urgency to the programming model of Seattle SCORES.

"We're meeting our kids at a crucial moment in their lives while facing critical challenges at the state and federal level,” Sangeeta tells her listeners. “Your support—financial or through volunteering—tells communities, schools, but most importantly these kids 'you're worth investing in’, when it feels like support systems are crumbling.”

With 2026 FIFA World Cup on the horizon, Sangeeta shares her hopes for the projected $929 million in economic impact for King County and the goal of funneling some of that revenue toward the long-term programming and local impact of SCORES.

“SCORES is more than soccer. And when the last whistle blows and the stadium is empty, where will the kids and the state of community program be left? We have to earmark those investments and consequently those dollars, now. For the future of our Poet-Athletes.”

Want to learn more about Seattle’s World Cup Moment?

Join us on November 13 at FareStart Café (downtown Seattle) at 8am for an exclusive breakfast event where local and global soccer legends such as:

Dan Popp: FIFA World Cup 26, Seattle Host City Director
Kelyn Rowe: Godfather of Seattle Soccer
Peter Fewing: Former Sounder & Broadcaster

And more will be discussing the inside scoop of the 2026 World Cup, SCORES legacy from the ‘94 World Cup and how to get involved with Seattle SCORES! This event is FREE, but seating is limited – grab your all-inclusive ticket NOW