On Sept. 11, the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians held a charity event to raise money for the Elbridge Indian Cemetery in Hart, Michigan.
The event, Ogema's Legacy Charity Golf Outing was estimated to raise $3,000, however, it raised over $7,000 to go towards a new riding lawn mower and other equipment. The donation will be given to St. Gregory-Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in Hart to be designated to the cemetery.
The inaugural event was held at the Wolf River Golf Club in Bear Lake, Michigan and had over 20 teams participating.
The well-known cemetery holds burial sites for many of the Native American families of West Michigan. For many years, the cemetery has been maintained by volunteers from the area, including Emily Smith, Alice Battice, Ponce Zamborowski, Tony and Linda Andre and Kevin and Tasha Hardy. Other volunteers have included David and Mindy Baker, Clarence and Connie Battice, Rob and Melissa Weaver , Adam Rodriquez, Rusty Smith and Jason, Michelle and Jenna Bialek.
