Golfing for Good: Highlights from the Galactic Golf Fundraiser

We first met Higher Orbits Founder and CEO Michelle when we attended the Sea, Air, Space conference and she reached out seeking fun sponsors. We were looking build community by getting involved with a local event supporting a great cause. Michelle’s enthusiasm for the Higher Orbits mission to help students learn about spaceflight and STEM/STEAM got us on board! So in May we attended the Higher Orbits Galactic Golf fundraiser as sponsors of the event.

The Go For Launch! program brings high school students together as teams to develop a space experiment. The experiments are judged by panels composed of STEM and space field leaders, and the winning experiment gets conducted in space by astronauts!

Telling the Higher Orbits Story through Apparel

Our team helped Michelle design a space-themed golf polo shirt as a preorder to raise funds. We hosted and organized the preorder, which was open to anyone in the Higher Orbits network. She also wanted a fun item for all the golfers attending the event, so we donated some super cool space socks for goody bags.

Custom Golf Polo Shirt and Sock Designs for Higher Orbits

Golf Goody Bags with Custom Socks

There was so much positive feedback about both items, and we think they captured the fun, exploratory spirit of Higher Orbits’ programs.

Tee Time!

After a relaxed registration session, complete with galaxy-colored donuts, it was time for the golfing to begin! It was perfect weather to be on the golf course with Arnold Palmers and mimosas in hand. We set up a table on Hole #1 with a game for attendees to win some fun apparel giveaways. There were even two personalized golf carts for use throughout the day–we felt so appreciated with all the amenities!

We met so many lovely supporters of Higher Orbits. Many of them were involved in the aerospace business or were from local businesses having a chill golf day. Some of the students who had participated in launch programs in the past had wonderful things to say about their experience in the program! We love that they refer to Michelle as their “Space Mom”.

Preorder Polo in the Wild!

Astronaut Hour

Later in the day one of the guest astronauts, Gregory H. “Box” Johnson visited our table. It was his birthday the day before so we HAD to give him our remaining space golf polo sample as a gift! He was so nice to film a video for Katie’s daughter explaining why astronauts “grow” taller in space. (In case you also didn’t know, the lack of gravity in space causes the spine to elongate, thus leading to an increase in height compared to that on earth!)

Katie and astronaut “Box” Johnson

All in all it was a sunny, fun day on the green for meeting new folks and uniting to support an amazing organization. Candor Threads hopes to support Galactic Golf in the future. Next time we know we should have cold beverages in tow for the golfers!

If custom golf polos sound like fun for your organization, get in touch! We love to create a vision that speaks to your mission.