River Bend Foobank Mobile Food Pantry John Deere Classic
By: Shauna Matteson
July 6, 2011 - Wednesday during the John Deere Classic, the PGA TOUR Wives Association participated in the second annual River Bend Food Pantry Project in Moline, IL. This is a very special event, one where Birdies for Charity and the John Deere Foundation partner with the PTWA to hand out various types of healthy food to recipients in the greater Quad Cities region.
The PGA TOUR Wives Association donated $2,000, which was enough to fill an entire Mobile Food Pantry Truck with 10,000 lbs of food! The food that was distributed included canned vegetables, spaghetti noodles, beef stew, fresh baked bread, multiple kinds of cereal, plums, figs, dates, cookies, peanut butter and more. We set up the tables and stacked them full of food items, replenishing the supplies as it became low. We helped walk the families, one at a time, down the line of tables and filled up their red wagon full of good food. Our project started at 11:00 a.m. and by 12:30 p.m. we had helped serve almost 200 families. The food that we distributed will reach approximately 600 people in the Quad City area.
Participating in this event were 16 PGA TOUR wives and four PGA TOUR children also pitched in. In addition, we were joined by the Young family (Jeff, Bridgette, Jackson, and Olivia) from Oklahoma, who were eager to join in on our effort. They came to the John Deere Classic with the Tidland Family and decided to pitch in and help as they are seasoned pros with helping with hunger efforts in their local town.
This project is another event in our efforts to combat hunger in our country. It was really amazing and eye opening to talk with the families that were benefiting from this donated food. Stories as to why they were in line for a hand up ranged from folks losing their jobs to debilitating medical problems. Nevertheless, the overwhelming consensus as we left Moline on Wednesday was that everyone was very appreciative and it showed. I think we all left this project feeling and knowing some hungry tummies might not be so hungry this evening.- what a great feeling!
These Kids Can Play - Wild Things! THE PLAYERS Championship
By: Sara Moores
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! At the zoo, maybe, but at Stadium Village during THE PLAYERS Championship, the last thing you expect to see are animals wandering about. And over at the 17th Island Green replica, penguins, pandas, Jaxon DeVille and PGA TOUR professionals are mingling with children and helping them hone their golf their skills to hit the green across the water. What’s going on?
Look closely and you'll see kids in wheelchairs, on crutches and pulling oxygen tanks being transformed into lions and tigers and bears. Many are petting owls, snakes and other animals 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 and was the fourth year for this event where children of all ages gather at the Stadium Village at the beautiful TPC Sawgrass.
Tabitha Furyk once again organized this day of fun for the children and this year, partnered with the Jacksonville Zoo to bring the animals to the children. Students from the Ponte Vedra High School Drama Department were back and dressed in animal costumes, delighting the children as they entered the “Wild Kingdom” at Stadium Village.
Other activities were also available including our friends from Books-A-Go-Go, who helped children choose books, arts and crafts, face painting, educational stations and, of course, the opportunity to hit a golf ball at the 17th island green replica. PGA TOUR Wives Association members, PGA TOUR players and volunteers all enjoyed helping out and gave these special children, along with their parents, siblings and caregivers, an enjoyable morning. 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.
Walk the Course Against Domestic Violence Wells Fargo Championship
On Tuesday of Wells Fargo Championship week, the PGA TOUR Wives Association partnered for the third consecutive year with The Avon Foundation and the Wells Fargo Championship to sponsor Walk the Course Against Domestic Violence. The weather was perfect and the Charlotte community embraced our mission to bring awareness to this worthy cause. Over 1000 walkers showed up to walk the beautiful Quail Hollow golf course and, in the end, we raised over $100,000! Grants from the proceeds of the walk were presented to four deserving beneficiaries - The Shelter of Gaston County, United Family Services Shelter for Battered Women, Turning Point of Union County, and North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence - to help them continue to assist victims of domestic violence in North Carolina.
Thank you to all the wives who walked and raised money to support our cause. Also, a big thanks to our husbands and significant others who came to the post-walk reception and spent time signing autographs and meeting the top fundraisers and sponsors. We were honored to be a part of this event and we want to thank the following sponsors who supported this event and helped us make a difference in the lives of thousands who are affected by domestic violence.
Gold Sponsor
Tire Kingdom
Pavilion Development
Silver Sponsor
CaroMont Health
Media Sponsors
Kiss 95.1 FM
K104.7 FM
Charlotte Living Magazine
Official Sponsors:
CharlotteSmaryPants.com
DASANI
Snyder's
Lance
Starbucks
vitaminwater
Blessings in a Backpack Waste Management Phoenix Open
By: Athena Perez
During the Waste Management Phoenix Open, the PGA TOUR Wives Association returned to Nevitt Elementary School for the second year of our Blessings initiative there. A few members of the major league wives joined us while we packed backpacks assembly-line style. The kids walked down the line with their backpacks on their tummies while we filled the packs with all kinds of goodies. These kids were so grateful! They brought with them thank you notes they had written us to express their appreciation for what they are receiving each week. One child proudly gave Jocelyn Casey a bracelet they had made.
Towards the end of the event when the gym was almost empty, a teacher and a young girl with tears in her eyes came walking in the door. The teacher and girl approached me and I knelt down to ask the girl what was wrong. The teacher told me that the child wanted to give me something. It was a thank you card, which I opened and looked upon while she explained that she had drawn a picture of herself with her backpack on in the sunlight with a blue sky and green grass, standing at a table with bread on it. The card said, “Dear PGA TOUR Wives, Thank you so much for our blessings in a backpack. I love getting chocolate chip cookies. It makes me happy as a lark.” She was swelling with pride and appreciation – I couldn’t help but hug her. After she had left, her teacher explained that she had been crying because she had forgotten to give us her thank you card during the assembly line and was terrified that we had left already. It’s small moments like that that make all the effort worth while. She is a happy little lark tonight because she has something as simple as food - that we all helped to provide – nothing could bring me more joy.
Our thanks to all of our partners in this very important initiative to feed hungry children. And to Cheryl Ruggerio at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, who each year opens her heart to us and to the children we support and helps to make this tournament, and week, so very special to so many people.
Beach Cleanup Farmers Insurance Open
By: Shauna Matteson
PGA TOUR Wives Association members had the opportunity to help clean up a beach in San Diego, California, during the Farmers Insurance Open. On a beautiful sunny Wednesday afternoon, the PTWA had the pleasure to meet and partner with a group of amazing young people from Pro Kids/The First Tee of San Diego. The goal was simple: to work together as a group and clean up Mission Beach. What was so refreshing about meeting this group of young people was that they were eager to meet us and made us immediately feel welcome. Sometimes it is our job to bridge the gap in meetings such as this, however with these kids, no bridge was needed. We were greeted with warm smiles and everyone seemed happy to be helping to make a public beach even better. It was a joy to meet such friendly, talented and dedicated kids. Conversations went easily and our members learned new things about other cultures while the Pro Kids learned a bit more about life of a PGA TOUR family. After sweeping the beach and picking up everything we all saw, we enjoyed a few tasty beverages and snacks. There is nothing better than sunshine, sand, clean air, chips, cokes and candy! All in all, it was a fantastic experience and something we would certainly look forward to again. Our hats off to the men and women who run Pro Kids because you are certainly doing a spectacular job!
