- March 25, 2026
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Golfers gather at the tee and rather than adorning their typical golf attire of shorts and a polo, they put on a tutu and a princess hat.
Matthew’s Hope’s Venue and Events Director, Courtney Woolbright, is in prime position to watch the activities of the Princess Hole. Every year it is her favorite challenge for the serious golfers participating in Matthew’s Hope’s Giving on the Green Golf Tournament.
The tournament is designed to be a fun and interactive experience for the participants, while also teaching them about Matthew’s Hope, founder and CEO Scott Billue said. This year brings the seventh annual tournament to the greens of the West Orange Country Club Monday, March 30.
“Every year I have people come tell us that this is the most fun that they have had at any of the golf outings they go to,” Billue said.
The tournament slowly has been building its way back to the pre-COVID-19 times as sponsors and support from the community have been growing in the six years since. Holes are decorated with different challenges, such as the Princess Hole and one with a grenade launcher. It’s designed to create a welcoming atmosphere for competitive golfers who are trying to win the trophy, and the leisurely golfers who desire a good afternoon on the green.
“It’s a fundraiser,” Billue said. “Yes, we want to have fun and we want to bring attention to what we do and why we do it and how we do it, but the reality of doing it is to raise funds for the mission of Matthew’s Hope.”
Woolbright said the nonprofit recently has had people come to events who didn’t know anything about it, they were only told events were fun. After learning about Matthew’s Hope, they’ve become some of its biggest supporters.
“They come for a good time because a friend said, ‘Hey, this is a lot of fun. We’re going to take a Monday off from work,’” Billue said. “And then they were exposed to something that was out there, but they never really grasped what it meant to them and what was being done about it.”
The seventh edition of Giving on the Green is bringing a new addition to its course and teaching about Matthew’s Hope with the launch of its app.
Billue said the app has been a thought for more than a year now and the nonprofit pulled the trigger on building and designing it six months ago. It will be announced at the tournament, and the people who are there will be the first utilize it.
The app is designed to serve multiple audiences, from donors and sponsors to staff and individuals experiencing homelessness. Everything the nonprofit does on its website will be on the app.
Matthew’s Hope also is celebrating its 16th anniversary in March. Billue said the anniversary combined with the golf tournament and the launch of the buses has made March an exciting month.
“There’s so much that’s going on that people are going to be able to go back to this app and literally find pretty much anything,” he said. “If it’s not there, it’s probably because we didn’t think of it yet.”
Through the app, they’re building a way for their guests who experience homelessness to sign in and make a reservation to spend the night on the sleeper bus, and the guests of the golf tournament will be able to quickly and easily find their event photos.
It also will help further spread the word about the nonprofit’s mission.
“The one thing I tell people all the time, when you see a homeless person, instead of judging, just stop for a minute and ask yourself, ‘What could have taken place in that person’s life to make living like that acceptable?’” Billue said. “Thats what I try to do every time I see someone experiencing something because…I’ve never met anybody who made a conscious choice to become homeless.”
The key part of Matthew’s Hope’s work is to challenge the stereotypes about homelessness. Many people who are experiencing homelessness have faced significant trauma, including illness, loss or abuse. Efforts such as the Matthew’s Hope tournament will raise funds to support eliminating the stigma and stereotypes.
