Volunteer Of The Month: Brendan Foerster Tees Up Support In Round Bay

For Brendan Foerster, volunteering in Round Bay comes down to a simple idea: If someone doesn’t step forward, some of the things that make a community special simply don’t happen.

“If no one raises their hand to do something, something doesn’t happen,” he said. “People are busy, but at the same time, I’ve got a few extra minutes in my day to make time for things.”

This year, Foerster raised his hand.

After supporting the Round Bay golf committee last year, he stepped into the role of committee chair for 2026, helping lead one of the neighborhood’s largest annual fundraisers. The Round Bay Open golf tournament, now in its sixth year, brings neighbors together at Compass Pointe Golf Courses while raising money for the Earleigh Heights Volunteer Fire Company.

Since the Round Bay Open began in 2021, it has generated more than $30,000 for the fire company. Last year, organizers presented the department with $10,000, the tournament’s largest annual donation to date.

For Foerster, who moved to Round Bay with his family three years ago, volunteering offered an opportunity to support an important local organization while becoming more involved in his new community.

“I think part of it is just exposure to more community members,” he said. “We’re not a big community, but at the same time, there are absolutely folks I haven’t met.”

Putting together the Round Bay Open takes plenty of work. This year’s four-person committee coordinated registration and foursomes, worked with the golf course, organized tournament activities, solicited sponsors and gathered prizes and donations.

“The Round Bay golf tournament is our largest annual fundraiser, reflecting our community’s commitment to supporting local first responders,” said Round Bay resident Erin Gruver, who chaired last year’s golf committee and who has a first-hand grasp of the time and effort it takes to organize the Round Bay Open. “We are grateful to Brendan for stepping up to lead the tournament committee – his leadership was instrumental to this year’s success.”

Much of the support comes from businesses owned by Round Bay residents, former residents and others with various affiliations within the community. Committee members also approach local restaurants and businesses for sponsorships, gift cards and other donations.

This year, nearly 20 sponsors contributed at varying levels. The committee also introduced new ways to raise money and involve residents who don’t golf, including a silent auction featuring donated photography services, wine baskets and use of a rental property in Puerto Rico.

The tournament attracts a mix of longtime residents, newer families, serious golfers and people more interested in having fun with their neighbors. About 75 people participated in this year’s event on September 11.

For Foerster, the tournament reflects something larger about the community where his family has put down roots.

Children play together and ride bikes around the neighborhood, while parents and neighbors keep an eye out for one another. It’s a sense of connection he says doesn’t exist everywhere.

As longtime Round Bay residents grow older and new families move in, Foerster sees volunteering as one way to preserve the traditions and relationships that have shaped the neighborhood.

He hopes to bring more residents onto the golf committee in coming years, both to share the workload and to introduce new ideas. He has also begun thinking about ways to expand fundraising efforts and potentially collaborate with neighboring communities.

For him, creating something meaningful doesn’t necessarily require doing something enormous.

The Round Bay Open is one example — neighbors spending a day together, businesses contributing what they can and volunteers finding a few extra hours to support the fire company that supports their community.

“There are so many micro-moments that contribute to something bigger. The Round Bay Open, that’s just one piece of it,” Foerster said. “It’s just one component of how we preserve that (community).”