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Winston-Salem Rescue Mission Fires Man Behind Golfer Gaffe

The charity responds after they advertised a meetup event with a golfer who had never been contacted by them.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — It was a charity event flub that caused a lot of issues. The Winston-Salem rescue mission advertised a fundraiser involving golfer Steve Stricker, except he didn't know about it. We heard from several people in the aftermath, but the mission had no comment - until now.

The Winston-Salem rescue mission released a statement today responding to the controversy. 

Here are the main takeaways: They say one of their former employees, Rob Hillmer, pretended to be a close relative of Steve Stricker. They say he even provided fake emails to back his story. The mission says it has the money that was raised and that Hillmer wouldn't have benefited financially from lying so it's not clear why he did. They say he's been fired and they don't know where he is.

So what's next? The mission says they're returning every sponsor's money. And they're reaching out to everyone who bought a ticket and offering them a full refund. Any players wanting their money back can contact Shari Mauk, the director of finance at 336-723-1848

RELATED: People Duped By Flyer Saying PGA Golfer Steve Stricker Would Be Part Of Winston-Salem Charity Game

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