Members of the Scandinavian Benevolent Society from Astoria played golf and raised $1,600 for the Astoria Scholarship Foundation.

Some 24 golfers participated in the event at the Peninsula Golf Club in Long Beach, with six teams of four. The winning team, led by Steve Drage, was Steve Fulton, Chuck Custer, Billy Berns, and Billy Rose, whose score was 31, two under par.

“We wanted to accomplish two things — to have a good time with our friends and help a good cause. I think we succeeded on both,” said Jim Hallaux of Astoria, who commended golf club owner Doug Brown for his support.

On the challenging par-3 hole, players could hit a tee shot or have Blake Kukula hit the shot for them. The former high school state champion has just graduated from Seattle University after four years on the golf team, playing 33 tournaments. He will begin his position as director of instruction at Astoria Country Club this summer.

The Scandinavian Benevolent Lodge was founded in 1887 as a way for immigrants to obtain loans and unemployment insurance. As government programs were introduced to replace early charitable efforts, its mission shifted toward celebrating Scandinavian culture and service to the community.

“The society has ‘Benevolent’ in their name for a reason,” said Hallaux. “This event is just one of the outreaches the Scandinavian Benevolent Society provides to the community.”

The Astoria scholarship group was formed in 1976 by the late Michael Foster and its first awards were two $250 scholarships. Now is run by a board of 15 including 11 alumni of Astoria High School and has provided more than $6 million in help to fund further education to more than 3,000 graduates. Board members manage investment income from more than 70 accounts set up as family memorials and by businesses and organizations.