When Erin Schrieber thinks about the Automotive Women’s Alliance Foundation’s annual golf outing, she thinks about her mother.
Kieran Goryl spent her career in the industry, working at Detroit Diesel as a facilities environmental engineer and, Schrieber said, often doing it without female colleagues around her.
Years later, Goryl learned about AWAF through her daughter and became a volunteer at the golf outing. Now she’s a regular volunteer at the outing.
“She always says how she wished she would’ve known about this organization years ago,” Schrieber said. “That’s what we want … to make sure we are reaching women so that 30 years from now, no one will say, ‘I wish I would’ve known.’”
That goal is at the heart of AWAF’s 30th Annual Swinging “FORE” Scholarships Golf Outing, scheduled for Aug. 18 at Fox Hills Golf & Banquet Center in Plymouth Township. The event, AWAF’s largest fundraiser of the year, raises money for the foundation’s scholarship and STEM programs supporting women pursuing careers in automotive, mobility and related fields.
The milestone year arrives as AWAF continues working toward a major benchmark: $1 million in scholarships awarded. As of June, the foundation reported 309 scholarships totaling $808,500. Schrieber said the outing typically awards eight to 10 scholarships, with awards generally starting at $5,000.
“All money raised, we do not benefit from it,” Schrieber said. “We put it directly into the scholarship fund, and so that I think is impactful.”
For sponsors, she said, the connection can be more personal than writing a check. Sponsorships can help fund a scholarship, and sponsors may select a recipient from AWAF’s pool of candidates. Some recipients attend the outing and receive their awards directly from the companies supporting them.
“Every contribution creates an opportunity,” said Keyiania Campbell, who is co-chairing the outing with Schrieber. “Every connection changes some young woman’s life. Every scholarship really and truly changes their lives.”
Schrieber, an AWAF board member, has co-chaired the event for four years. Campbell, also an AWAF board member, is in her third year with the outing. Together, they said, the event has grown by becoming more accessible, more intentional and more closely tied to the foundation’s mission.
Schrieber said the outing once was a nine-hole evening scramble at a private club. Moving to a daytime event and keeping sponsorship levels affordable helped open the outing to more companies and more participants. The event has been held at Fox Hills for four years.
The outing also added a golf clinic, a feature Schrieber said is important because many women have not had the same opportunities to learn the game.
“We wanted to make sure that we were giving lessons each year to women who need them or want them, to either better their golf game or learn how, so they could come back the following year and have a foursome,” Schrieber said.
Campbell said the golf course is part of the appeal, but the outing’s value goes beyond golf. Participants meet scholarship recipients, hear their stories and network with automotive and mobility leaders.
“We’re now seeing more women playing golf, excited about playing golf,” Campbell said. “And I also see how our guests who are attending, our sponsors, they’re also excited because they are participating in a meaningful event.”
A signature feature is AWAF’s executive auction, which gives participants a chance to bid on one-on-one time with industry leaders over breakfast, lunch or dinner. Campbell said the auction creates access that can be difficult to find elsewhere.
The outing also includes a few lighter touches. Schrieber said last year’s additions included a marshmallow drop hole and a “52 cards” auction, in which participants have a one-in-52 chance to win a package of gift cards. The card auction, she said, “always sells out.”
This year’s agenda begins with registration at 8 a.m., followed by a 9 a.m. shotgun start for the 18-hole scramble. Golf clinic attendees arrive at 11:30 a.m., with the clinic scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Dinner, awards, scholarships and auction activities are scheduled to begin around 2:30 p.m., once golfers are off the course.
Schrieber said the outing generally draws about 124 golfers and has sold out in the past, with a sellout at 144 golfers. The event welcomes experienced golfers, beginners interested in the clinic, sponsors, auction donors and dinner guests.
The broader mission, Campbell said, is representation and opportunity. AWAF scholarships are open to women across North America pursuing a range of automotive and mobility pathways, from engineering to skilled trades to advanced degrees.
“It doesn’t have to just be women going into engineering,” Schrieber said. “We’re giving scholarships to women who want to be mechanics and are going to school to be mechanics. We’re giving scholarships to women that are continuing education and maybe getting a master’s … who are just continuing that career.”
Men are welcome at the outing and in AWAF’s work, organizers said, because allies are part of the effort to expand opportunity in the industry.
“Representation matters,” Campbell said. “We want our future leaders to see themselves in this space.”
For Schrieber, the 30th anniversary is proof of the outing’s staying power and a reminder of why the foundation wants to keep reaching new people.
For Campbell, the number represents “30 years of legacy” and “30 years of empowered women empowering women.”
“We’re allowing and opening that door for so many opportunities for women to grow, to thrive, to connect with other women in the industry,” Campbell said.
Registration, sponsorship information and auction donation details are available through AWAF. The foundation also is accepting silent auction donations.
