The Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial capped off a record $7.8 million year in fundraising today by distributing its final donations to 71 local charities at the annual Colonial Country Club Charities Holiday Breakfast. Throughout the entire year, more than $7.8 million has been generated and distributed to over 100 organizations as a result of the golf tournament.
The championship's successful fundraising for dozens of local charities places it among the top events on the PGA TOUR in 2013. According to tournament officials, the Birdies for Charity component of the tournament's annual fundraising efforts brought in more than $5.8 million, one of the best such programs on the PGA TOUR. In that program, 30 local non-profit organizations solicited pledges from individuals and corporations for every birdie made during the 2013 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. As a bonus, the pledge efforts were energized by a matching fund of $200,000 from Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Colonial Country Club and other supporting companies. “It's very rewarding to create such a positive impact for our community,” noted 2013 Colonial Country Club President Vance Minter. “A lot of volunteers, sponsors, donors and Fort Worth citizens made it possible to raise these charity dollars all year long.” The tournament has generated cash and services for more than 150 different organizations in the last two decades totaling over $61 million. That includes more than $8 million generated for its primary beneficiary, Cook Children's Medical Center. The breadth of donations focus on children and support a variety of programs, including camp scholarships for disabled, special needs or low-income children, residency programs/services for abused, neglected and at-risk children, cultural programs/field trips for underserved students, college scholarships, educational mentoring programs, medical diagnostic and treatment services for disabled and low-income children, after-school programs,
support services for homeless families and more. The tournament surpassed the million dollar mark in annual giving in 1998, and has exceeded that level every year since. This is the second year the event has surpassed the $7 million mark. “These organizations provide a variety of important services for many young people and families in our area,” shared Craig Nicholson, Chairman of the Colonial Country Club Charities Committee. “We are excited to support the great work of all these charities.” Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
Completes a $7.8 Million Charitable Year
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