River Bend Food Bank Mobile Food Pantry John Deere Classic
By: Shauna Matteson
On July 7, 2010 the PGA TOUR Wives Association partnered with the River Bend Food Bank, Birdies for Charity, and the John Deere Foundation to put on a very special event.
It all came about when our organization decided to give back to the John Deere Classic because of how wonderful they are to all of us. After some brainstorming, it was very apparent that our donation would go to the River Bend Food Bank’s Mobile Food Pantry for the aid in hunger relief. The $2,000 donation will provide several weeks worth of food to 200 families, and the retail value is almost $20,000! So 14 wives and one of their 6-year-old sons rode on a big bus and met up with the Mobile Food Pantry at a local church in Silvis, IL, not far from the John Deere Classic.
It was about 10:30 a.m. when we arrived, and we were delighted to see that there was already a line forming for individuals to get much needed food supplies. So our ladies quickly jumped in to organize the tables and unpack the truck. By 11:00 a.m., the food was ready for the clients and so were we! It was hot and humid outside, but none of that mattered because the PGA TOUR Wives were helping fill baskets, boxes, and shopping carts of food for some very happy people. Children were eagerly helping their parents and grandparents fill the carts with the food, and the recipients seemed very grateful. After all was said and done, it was estimated that 12,000 pounds of food had been distributed!
The Mobile Food Pantry was designed to help get food out to the rural areas of the Quad Cities. In most cases, the food being distributed is going to families that are working and need some extra assistance to make ends meet.
At 1:00 p.m. the event was over and it left the PGA TOUR Wives feeling like we had truly made an immediate difference in many families’ lives.
A special thanks goes out to the incredible staff from the John Deere Classic. Birdies for Charity also donated an additional 5% bonus on top of our $2,000 donation.
Target House Family BBQ St. Jude Classic presented by Smith & Nephew
By: Sara Moores
On Tuesday, June 8, PTWA partnered with Target to host a BBQ for the children and families of Target House. Jeff Gove sat atop a giant inflatable slide to help children slide down. Other player families were helping children hone their miniature golf skills, while still others did crafts, had their faces painted and enjoyed the great bar-b-que dinner. Pictures were taken of all of the families and children and were given to them as souvenirs, along with the cool sun glasses, crafted visors and many other items. All who attended had a wonderful time interacting with these incredible kids and their families.
Target House was founded by Target in 1999 and is a home away from home for the families with children being treated at St.Jude Children's Hospital (www.stjude.org). The PTWA has supported Target House since its beginning and built the playground at the facility. It was a wonderful evening filled with great food and lots of laughter for everyone. Our sincere thanks to Target for bringing this incredible event to these wonderful families.
Comfort of Home Baskets Melwood Prince George's County Open
By: Carolyn Herman
During this year's Melwood Prince George's County Open, the Nationwide Tour Wives Association had its first opportunity to give back to the military. The Fisher House at Andrews Air Force Base was the recipient of our Comforts of Home Baskets program. Fisher House is a nationwide program that provides a "home away from home" for families of the military who are receiving treatment for an illness, injury or disease. The families spend many days, weeks, or even months at a Fisher House location. The tournament sponsor, Melwood, and the Tournament Director, Teo Sodeman, were crucial to our support of the Fisher House. This program was designed to provide baskets filled with fun and comforting items to each room at the Fisher House. The focus was to impact the wives and children of our heroes who may be living far from home during stressful and confusing situations.
Seven baskets were filled by the players and their wives. Both monetary and item donations were received during tournaments leading up to the Melwood Prince George’s County Open. On Tuesday, June 1, the wives met in the clubhouse to fill and decorate the seven baskets to be delivered the following day. The NTWA was fortunate enough to receive an abundance of donated items, allowing the Fisher House several "extras" for basket refills. The tournament volunteers even pitched in by donating items for the baskets. It was wonderful to see so many different contributors of this event supporting our military!
Delivery day was Wednesday, June 2. The Nationwide wives and children, our seven baskets, gift cards, and athletic wear traveled to Andrews Air Force Base for a social event and presentation at the Fisher House. Fisher House manager, Janet Grampp, and her staff of volunteers greeted us, along with some active military personnel, families in residence at the Fisher House, retired military volunteers, and Red Cross volunteers. It was a wonderful lunch, completely donated by a local Italian favorite, Mamma Stellas. We enjoyed sharing stories, laughs, and hugs with everyone in attendance.
After lunch, our group was treated to a tour of the Fisher House facility. Just paces from the on-base Hospital, the Fisher House provides much more of a relaxing and personal environment than one would find at the local hotel. A few residents even formed a bond the day we visited - one older, one younger, both alone. With gardens, a gazebo and a children's playground, you could hardly tell where you were. The visit ended with our presentation of the baskets, clothing, gift cards and a few surprises. CDW was kind enough to donate a brand new desktop computer to the Fisher House. Foot Joy donated 12 dozen socks. A check was also presented to the Fisher House from the Nationwide Tour Wives Association. The program was a huge success and we are proud to support the Fisher House. Thank you to everyone for their donations and their time in the support of such a great cause!
Operation Literacy - STORY TIME in the Kids Zone HP Byron Nelson Championship
By: Athena Perez
For the third and final installment of Operation Literacy, the PGA TOUR Wives Association (PTWA) teamed up with the HP Byron Nelson Championship to bring kids of the Salesmanship Club Charities, STORY TIME. Corey Pavin and Will MacKenzie joined PTWA members to read children's books in the Kids Zone on site at the tournament on Friday, May 21, 2010.
Children from the J. Erik Jonsson Community School joined us in the Kids Zone on site at the tournament. Kids Zone is tented area within the tournament that is designed especially for kids and families. Kids enjoy free activities including a bounce house, arts and crafts, miniature golf course and more. Members read from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. every hour on the hour.
The day started early with Ruby (Graham) DeLaet, Alli and Will MacKenzie. The kids were intrigued as Ruby read “Percival the Plain Caterpillar.” Alli read “Wacky Wednesday” as the kids pointed out all the wacky things in the book and Will MacKenzie was a hit - there was plenty of laughter during his reading! The kids really enjoyed giving Will ‘bunny ears’ as they took a picture together. There were readers including the children throughout the day and Corey Pavin concluded STORY TIME by reading “Oh! The Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Seuss.
We are extremely grateful to Corey Pavin and Will MacKenzie for participating in STORY TIME on a very busy game day. We are also grateful to the Salesmanship Club that was generous enough to include Operation Literacy in their Kids Zone activities.
Operation Literacy Awards Ceremony Valero Texas Open
By: Athena Perez
The ability to read and write is the backbone of education and life. This simple concept was the motivation behind the PGA TOUR Wives Association’s Operation Literacy, a three-week campaign to raise awareness about the importance of literacy.
Amy Wilson, president of the PTWA, holds literacy very dear to her heart. She wanted to incorporate literacy in the PTWA’s efforts to give back to our tournament communities. The PTWA is always looking for new and unique ways to give back and had three very willing participants in THE PLAYERS Championship, the Valero Texas Open and the HP Byron Nelson Championship. The committees were formed, and the project was underway.
During Week One of Operation Literacy, Tabitha Furyk headed up THE PLAYERS Championship effort by providing children from PedsCare an opportunity to have some fun in the sun at These Kids Can Play – BookFest! (Read more about the event in the article below.)
Week Two, thousands of middle schoolers throughout San Antonio participated in a unique essay and short story writing contest about “what you would save.” After several rounds of judging, 74 finalists were invited to join the PTWA members, PGA TOUR players and special guest speakers at an awards ceremony celebrating their excellence in literacy. The day was all about the children: PGA TOUR players serving up popcorn, cotton candy, snow cones and other great treats greeted students as they arrived. Books donated by Books-A-Go-Go were on display for the kids to take home with them as they left. Presents, trophies and balloons decorated the room with color. The air was thick with excitement and anticipation.
PGA TOUR Professional Troy Matteson talked about how literacy was and is important in his life. Tim Finchem, Commissioner of the PGA TOUR, encouraged the students to continue in their pursuit of writing and reading excellence. Tony Piazzi, President and CEO of Golf San Antonio, expressed his excitement about working with the PTWA and involving the San Antonio community. Over 2000 books generated from a book drive held by Valero and the PTWA were presented to San Antonio Youth Literacy. And finally came the moment they had all been waiting for. Everyone was anxious to hear who the winners were. Winners were announced for Most Touching, Most Likely to Change Someone Today, Most Creative, 3rd, 2nd and…Tim Petrovic? Tim was asked to come to the microphone to read the 1st place essay. He graciously obliged.
“Imagine-you are climbing a huge tree, racing your younger sister to the highest branch you can see through the tangle of tree limbs above you…” Tim read. Taylore knew it was her essay and sat smiling as it was read. The rest of the crowd, young and old, were amazed by Taylore’s amazingly graphic and beautiful essay.
When Tim completed reading the oh okthanks essay, Taylore came to the stage to accept her trophy and prizes. TaylorMade Golf donated a new set of junior clubs for her, the TOUR Academy in San Antonio donated two one hour lessons, TPC San Antonio donated a round of golf for four and to top it off, Kimberly Roberson, a children’s book illustrator, donated her services to illustrate the winning essay for a personalized book.
Taylore’s teacher, Jay Jarvis, was very proud and appreciative. “Often times our academic super stars don’t have the sporting venue, they don’t have the musical venue… frankly, they get lost in the shuffle. [This] lets them have their moment to shine,” said Jay with a huge smile and Taylore’s new golf clubs and bag on his back. “When you see people who care when they don’t have to, that’s the best thing ever.”
And it was all worth it. The countless hours reading essays and working on the event was all worth it. Seeing the children dressed up and so proud and learning of the students' excitement to get out of school and come to a hotel - many of the children had never been to a hotel, let alone a beautiful resort like the JW Marriott San Antonio, that was set up just for them. To see the wide eyed children walking through the hallway filled with treats and professional athletes there just for them. They made it all worth it. It was a day meant for them to remember. But as is happens, it was a day WE will never forget.
These Kids Can Play - BookFest! THE PLAYERS Championship
By: Sara Moores
Another beautiful week in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL at THE PLAYERS Championship. But wait! At the Stadium Village we see...Cinderella? Belle? Tinkerbell? And over there, at the 17th Island Green replica, pirates and princesses? Cat in the Hat? Jaxson DeVille? Laughing and giggling at the golf course! What's going on?
Look closely and you'll see kids in wheelchairs, on crutches and pulling oxygen tanks being transformed into princesses and pirates. And many are sitting in a big circle around celebrity readers as the PGA TOUR Wives Association and THE PLAYERS Championship hosted children from Community PedsCare, a pediatric palliative and hospice care program of Community Hospice. This program helps children with life-threatening and life-limiting conditions. This was the third year for this event where children of all ages gather at the Stadium Village at the beautiful TPC Sawgrass.
Added this year was BookFest, the first of three events falling under the Association’s Operation Literacy-Literacy Drives Dreams platform. Each child had the opportunity to choose a book in the “book nook” where Books-A-Go-Go, who donated the books, helped children get that special book. Students from the Ponte Vedra High School Drama Department came dressed as storybook characters, much to the children’s delight.
Other activities were also available including family pictures, generously donated by Kodak, snag golf, run by the First Tee of Jacksonville and reading in the reading corner. Readers, including former Jacksonville Jaguars Mark Brunell and Tony Boselli, tennis great Todd Martin, and PGA TOUR professionals, Justin Leonard, Henrik Stenson and Jim Furyk, brought Cat in the Hat and other books alive for the children who sat at their feet.
Partnering with us in support of this event was THE PLAYERS Championship proud partner, UBS. Since 2008, UBS has joined us to help raise over $150,000 for the Northeast Florida Community Hospice PedsCare. Their involvement in this program is a reflection of the UBS commitment to serving communities where UBS employees live and work. The PTWA is thankful for UBS’ partnership.
Tabitha Furyk, wife of PGA TOUR player Jim Furyk, organized the event that gave the children, along with their parents, siblings and caregivers, a morning of fun, golf and books. At the end of the day, children were tired, not as a result of medical treatments, but from sun, fun and laughter. Giving Through Golf comes in many forms...this is one of them.
St. Michael's Special School & Emeril Luncheon Zurich Classic of New Orleans
By: Julie Petrovic
On April 21st, during the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, twenty-three members of the PGA TOUR Wives Association came together for a special event that involved crafts with the kids from St. Michael’s Special School, a presentation to the St. Bernard Project, and a fabulous cooking demonstration by Chef Emeril Lagasse. To start things off, a busload of excited children arrived from St. Michael’s to work with the PTWA members on a special craft. Our members helped these truly special children make mobiles of houses decorated with brightly colored stickers. Details were drawn with markers and pretty ribbons were attached to hang the mobiles. The children were very proud of their handy work. Three of the kids joined me on stage to present these beautiful mobiles to Liz McCartney from the St. Bernard Project. When a family displaced by Katrina moves into a rebuilt home through the St. Bernard Project, they will be presented one of these mobiles made by a special child from St. Michael’s.
Emeril joined me on stage to present checks from the PTWA to both St. Michael’s and the St. Bernard Project. We were then treated to Emeril's cooking demo, which featured sweet pea soup, pan roasted asparagus with shitake mushrooms and cherry tomatoes, broiled salmon with a warm tomato-lemon vinaigrette and Ponchatoula strawberry cornmeal shortcakes. Yum! Emeril does this special cooking demonstration at the Zurich Classic to benefit St. Michael’s, as Zurich also sponsors the school.
After lunch, Liz McCartney gave a presentation on the St. Bernard Project. St. Bernard's was started in the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. Liz McCartney and Zach Rosenburg started the non-profit to help people rebuild and come back home. They use volunteer work and donations to buy products. They are able to rebuild a home for an average of $12,000. Each homeowner has to apply and then put in "sweat equity" to be allowed to get a home. Liz told us that they have built 276 homes in the last four years and are currently working on 50 more. They have also opened a mental health center for their clients, as many of them are dealing with post traumatic stress syndrome, among other issues.
For more information about the St. Bernard project, please visit their website at www.stbernardproject.org. Emeril is also very involved in giving back to the community. For more information about his foundation, you can visit www.emeril.org.
Transitions Championship Youth Day Transitions Championship
By: Shauna Matteson
The PGA TOUR Wives Association got to spend St. Patrick’s Day in a special way this year. Transitions Optical and Essilor Vision Foundation asked us if we would like to participate in their Wednesday Youth Day. Youth Day consisted of about 1,000 local children going to partake in a complementary vision screening and other activities to learn about the importance of healthy eyesight. Some of our members helped with leading the children through the vision screening process and others helped entertain youngsters by playing the Nintendo Wii at the Kids Zone. We also got to pass out complementary books donated by Transitions from a colorful vehicle called Bess the Book Bus. Bess the Book Bus was a very popular stop, as you can imagine, on the many stops the children enjoyed on Wednesday. As a whole, it was a very worthwhile event to volunteer for because so many of us understand what a difference a pair of glasses can make for those who need them. The PGA TOUR Wives Association looks forward to partnering in the future with Transitions and their staff because of their dedication and commitment to children and healthy eyesight.
Blessings in a Backpack Waste Management Phoenix Open
By: Sara Holmes
We kicked off our second “Blessings in a Backpack” event on February 24, 2010, during the Waste Management Phoenix Open, and it was a great success! Joining our members and other dignitaries were Mike McQuaid representing The Thunderbirds and Stan Curtis, Founder of Blessings in a Backpack. The event took place at Nevitt Elementary School in Phoenix.
Blessings in a Backpack is a non-profit organization that provides nourishment to school children that are on the federal and reduced meal program. One out of every six children in the United States is at a risk for hunger. Our main goal in establishing this collaborative program at Nevitt Elementary was to make sure these children were being fed. In this program, 400 children take home a backpack every other week filled with macaroni and cheese, Pop Tarts, Gatorade, Ravioli and animal crackers. Eight hundred children are fed within a two week period!
During our visit to the school, we were able to meet and interact with the children. Some of the wives went to the classrooms and read a book or played games like Simon Says, while others packed the backpacks. In talking with the assistant principal, Ken White, we learned how appreciative the students and their parents are. Parents of the children also help out in the packing process! It was nice to learn of the parental involvement and to hear their positive feedback.
While at the school, we were privileged to have the school choir sing “Rockin’ Robin” to us. This was a highlight to the day and was so entertaining with all the hand motions. They did an amazing job! The children also showed off their creativity and talent in the posters they made for the PGA TOUR wives and our partners. We took the signs back to the course to display them in Player Dining for all to see.
We have many sponsors that help to execute this program each week. Sara Lee passed out loaves of bread to each child. Sheraton Hotel volunteers come every week to help pack the backpacks. Fry’s Grocery Store provides all the food for the backpack program. The Thunderbirds are our partner at Nevitt and Alliance also sponsors the program. I know the school really appreciates all they do each and every week.
Blessings in a Backpack is a wonderful program, and I am so glad that I could be part of the event in Phoenix. I was truly blessed and can’t wait to go to another event soon!
Blessings in a Backpack Sony Open in Hawaii
By: Kate Rose
Aloha! On the Wednesday of the first full event of 2010, 20 members of the PGA TOUR Wives Association and their children kicked off our 2010 charity visit schedule by going to Ke Kula 'o Samuel M. Kamakau Lab PCS school in O'ahu, for the official launch of our "Blessings in a Backpack" program. Last year, the PTWA partnered with Sammy Hagar, Friends of Hawaii Charities, The Mark and Debi Rolfing Charitable Foundation and Foodland Super Market, with the goal of coming together to provide nutritious foods for children over the weekends, under the "Blessings in a Backpack" format. The Blessings program was founded 5 years ago by Stan Curtis, with three schools in Kentucky, and has now grown to serve over 24,000 children in over a hundred schools in 16 states!
Blessings in a Backpack is a non-profit organization designed to provide weekend nourishment to elementary school children who qualify for free or reduced fee meals under the National School Lunch Program. School children who receive free and reduced meal plans eat while they are in school, but go home to little or no food in the evenings and on weekends. These children return to school on Monday hungry and tired.
Through the “Blessings in a Backpack” initiative, these undernourished school children are given food for the weekends. Participating schools have seen a dramatic increase in their test scores, a reduced number of school nurse visits on Monday, increased attendance and better attention and focus in the classroom where these children are served.
The PGA TOUR Wives Association, along with our partners, has made a commitment to feed these children over the weekends for the next three years.
We discovered during our visit that, due to school budget cuts, some of the schools were having to close on Fridays, thereby reducing the school week and school feeding program to only 4 days a week. In addition to this, the recent economic crisis meant that many parents had lost their jobs, so they were finding it increasingly difficult to afford this extra day of feeding their children. This makes the need for this program even more critical for these children.
We have been quietly running this Blessings pilot for the past 6 months, and it was a thrill to attend our press launch of it during the week of the Sony Open in Hawaii, and get to meet some of the recipient children. Since the fall of 2009, 373 children from three schools in Hawaii were the first recipients of the "blessings" in a backpack. We were greeted with their local song, beautifully sung in the revived Hawaiian language, which welcomed us into their family, and every single child came and hugged or kissed all of us. It was truly a special day. Our goal is to eventually expand this program to feed more of Hawaii’s keiki. We hope that through the 2010 Sony Open in Hawaii, individuals and companies will learn about this program. You can add your support by making a donation to Friends of Hawaii Charities, designee: Blessings in a Backpack. Visit www.friendsofhawaii.org.
We look forward to continuing our partnership with "Blessings in a Backpack" during the Waste Management Phoenix Open at the end of February, where we will be launching another program!
A Green Carpet Affair
Presented by Sentient Jet
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. The Barclays - Paramus, NJ
PTWA partners with The Barclays, Sentient Jet and Children's Aid & Family Services to present A GREEN CARPET AFFAIR! This exclusive invitation-only fundraising event coincides with The Barclays Golf Tournament at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus. It will be a ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME EXPERIENCE where guests mingle with PGA TOUR pros and their wives, enjoy lavish hors d'oeuvres, cocktails and an unbelievable silent auction. The event will be held at a beautiful private home in Bergen County, NJ. Click the link below to purchase a ticket or make a donation. ACT NOW AS TICKETS ARE LIMITED!
Purchase Tickets or Donate
Healthy Paks
Thursday, September 2, 2010
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Deutsche Bank Championship - Norton, MA
PGA TOUR Wives Association will partner with State Street, Greater Boston Food Bank and the tournament to support the Healthy Paks back pack initiative by stuffing backpacks in the Kids Zone with food to be donated to the various Boys & Girls Club programs.
Cocktails for the Cup presented by Ketel One
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Time TBD THE TOUR Championship - Atlanta, GA
Fundraising event at the Palm Restaurant in Buckhead to benefit PGA TOUR Wives Association. Tournament participants and local PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Wives Association members are invited to attend.
We have several other Fundraising and Volunteer Service Projects in the planning stages.
Watch for more information as the details are confirmed!
