Fore the Kids
(page 1 of 3)
Seven million dollars is a big chunk of change. Scratch that. Seven million dollars is a gigantic, massive chunk of change. And thanks to the Price Cutter Charity Championship, a charity PGA golf tournament held annually at Highland Springs Country Club, more than $7 million has been donated to local children’s charities since 1990.
Twenty Years of Tee Time
The Price Cutter Charity Championship is one of the premier stops on the PGA’s Nationwide Tour. This year’s event is August 8 through 17, and it marks the tournament’s 20th anniversary. “Any time you have a PGA event, there are two objectives: putting on a first-class, professional golf tournament and raising money for charity,” says Jerald Andrews, the tournament’s executive director and president of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. “Our goal is to host the best local golf tournament people can see, and of course, to raise money for our local charities.”
The staff at the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame prepares for the event all year long. “Most Nationwide Tour events have a staff that does nothing but work on the tournament, but we actually manage the tournament out of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame,” Andrews says. By planning the event themselves, the Hall of Fame saves funds needed to pay an event-planning staff and donates that many more dollars to charity. But this planning doesn’t come without a lot of work. “We prepare year-round,” says Andrea Porter, the director of marketing and public relations for the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and the Price Cutter Charity Championship. “We literally start the day after the tournament ends the year before. Last year, I kept track of my hours. I worked 176 hours during the event. I remember nights when we left here at midnight and we’d be back
at 4 in the morning, but it’s all worth it. We’re making a huge difference in kids’ lives.”
A flood of golfers inhabit Springfield for the event’s many activities, including a variety of pro-ams August 8 through 12 and the actual tournament, which is August 13 through 16. The event brings more than 400 professional golfers to the city, and
Andrews says it makes a huge impact on our local economy.
Course for a Cause
The economy certainly isn’t the only thing benefiting from the Price Cutter Charity Championship. In addition to the more than 1,000 volunteers from the community, there are many charities that volunteer time in exchange for funds. In 2008, more than $625,000 was distributed to the 43 participating children’s charities in 417-land, which brought the 19-year total to more than $7 million. In addition to money raised, there has been a Habitat for Humanity home donated in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2008. This year, there are 44 charities involved.
Some of the well-known charities that have been participating the longest include A Sporting Chance (18 years), the Boys & Girls Club of Springfield (17 years) and the Ronald McDonald House (20 years). The Boys & Girls Town of Missouri and the Good Samaritan Boys Ranch have each been involved for 10 years, and the Children’s Miracle Network has been included for 11 years. A few charities new to the event include Lost & Found (three years), National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI, two years) and the Shriners Hospital Dads (two years).
Ronald McDonald House: 20 years
The Ronald McDonald House is the only charity that has been involved in the Price Cutter Charity Championship for all 20 years. Bonnie Keller, the president and C.E.O. of Ronald McDonald House, has been involved since the beginning. “I remember the press conference before the first event,” says Keller. “It was my second day of work.”
The Ronald McDonald House provides lodging, hope and comfort for families of seriously ill and injured children who must travel far from home for medical treatment. The House’s mission is to create, find and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children in 417-land.
