Lake Support & Emergency Recovery (LASER) is seeking golfers, sponsors and donors for its inaugural LASER Charity Classic on Oct. 16, raising money to help Lake County residents recover from house fires and other disasters that occur without an official disaster declaration.

The tournament will take place at Mission Resort + Club, 10400 County Road 48 in Howey-in-the-Hills. LASER Executive Director Brandi Martin says 17 teams have registered, with room for about 10 more.

The event will highlight the story of Marlo Ford, a Eustis resident who spent about 15 months living without electricity after a fire damaged her double-wide mobile home. LASER helped secure funding and arranged repairs, giving her back the use of her home.

Registration and breakfast begin at 7 a.m., followed by a putting competition and an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start. Lunch, awards, a silent auction and raffle opportunities will follow. Entry is $500 per foursome or $125 per individual and includes breakfast and lunch.

LASER helps residents navigate disaster recovery by coordinating assistance, identifying funding and connecting households with resources and community partners. Its work includes helping secure home repairs and other necessities.

Brandi says the organization previously focused mainly on declared disasters, such as hurricanes, when grants and other recovery resources become available through partner organizations. Undeclared emergencies are a different story.

  “It’s really hard to find funding for non-declared disasters,” Brandi says of incidents such as individual house fires or other unexpected disasters without official declarations.

The tournament aims to fill that gap. Brandi says LASER has taken on 22 cases involving these types of disasters, including Marlo’s.

For Marlo, who owns her home in Hazelton Village, the need was extensive. The fire gutted her kitchen and living room, leaving those areas in need of new appliances, walls, a ceiling and rafters.

She had no homeowners insurance.

Her back bedrooms were untouched, allowing her to remain in the home while she tried to find a way to repair it, but without electricity, daily life became a challenge that stretched into more than a year.

“I basically lived in my bedroom for 15 months,” Marlo says.

Marlo had a GoFundMe campaign before LASER became involved. Once the organization stepped in, she says, it was able to address the repairs she needed.

“Oh, my goodness, I was totally overjoyed because I had no idea how I was going to accomplish this,” she says. “I just kept praying to God and asking for help and hoping that something would come through and it did, and it was LASER.”

Brandi says the needs are not always limited to rebuilding. LASER recently purchased food for another resident whose home caught fire. Although that resident had insurance, she needed immediate help while working through the insurance process.

Along with tournament participation, LASER is seeking $300 “Fill a Suitcase” sponsorships to purchase at least three days’ worth of clothing, hygiene supplies and other essentials for households left with little more than the clothes they are wearing.

Businesses can also contribute gift cards, services, experience packages or gift baskets for the silent auction. Additional sponsorship opportunities are available.

Marlo plans to attend the fundraiser and hopes the event helps more people learn about the assistance available, as well as how they can support it.

“People that want to donate should know how to and people that need help should know what resources are available to them, because most people have no idea,” she says.“Without LASER, I would still be living without electricity,” Marlo says.

To register, sponsor or donate, visit LASER Charity Classic. Learn more about the organization at laserfl.org.