First Business Bank awarded $33,000 to charities on behalf of the winners of the 2021 First Business Bank Charity Golf Invitational – Milwaukee, which was held earlier this week at Oconomowoc Golf Club.

Local business leaders competed in two-person teams in the event on behalf of a local charity of their choice. First Business Bank covered 100% of the event costs.

Handicap Flight Winners

• First Place – $15,000 won on behalf of St. Marcus School by James Boyle and Mark Ciborowski
• Second Place – $9,000 won on behalf of Stars and Stripes Honor Flight by Matt Neumann and Mark Neumann
• Third Place – $4,500 won on behalf of Lutheran Social Services by Bob Bell and Michael MacNeil

Callaway Flight Winners

• First Place Tie – $2,250 won on behalf of JobsWork MKE by Al Orr and John Wink
• First Place Tie – $2,250 won on behalf of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) by Ashley Haut and Eric Higgins

The timing of the $15,000 first-place win today for St. Marcus School was fortunate, according to Christine Safranek, director of mission advancement for St. Marcus School.

“I was watching the leaderboard all afternoon. This just couldn’t have come at a better time,” Safranek said. “Just two weeks ago we opened our third school. We were renovating a very old school in an education desert and three days before school was to open, we were in that power grid that was down for four days. So, we had no power, no water, nothing. And dozens and dozens of people worked for days to get classrooms ready for these four- and five-year-olds who had never been to school before. They’re in temporary classrooms right now while construction is going on. This will help our renovation project and get that building open for the kids.”

Ciborowski, owner of Wisconsin Title Service Company, and Boyle, a partner at Boyle Fredrickson, played on behalf of St. Marcus School. Ciborowski said his involvement in St. Marcus School comes from his experience growing up in inner-city Jersey City, NJ.

“What they do is special,” Ciborowski said. “It really means a lot to me. The work they do at St. Marcus School is amazing.”

“It’s because of people like Mark (Ciborowski) and his friends who remember us,” Safranek said. “They remember us when they have golf tournaments and also when they don’t. It’s like we’re teachers together, we’re superintendents, we’re advocates. We’re just one big family.”

Kevin Kane, president of the southeast Wisconsin market of First Business Bank, was pleased at the turnout of the event and inspired by the generosity of the golfers and their businesses.

“The awards portion at the end of the First Business Bank Charity Golf Invitational is always very exciting and it was so gratifying to see St. Marcus School win first place this year,” Kane said. “As usual, our local business leaders’ passion and competitive drive on behalf of these nonprofit causes was truly impressive today.”