Colonial Country Club’s annual Birdies For Charity campaign scored another fundraising record, passing the $11 million mark for the first time in its history.
Representatives from 33 local nonprofit organizations gathered on Oct. 20 at Fort Worth’s historic Colonial Country Club to celebrate the campaign’s success during the 2016 DEAN & DELUCA Invitational at Colonial last May.
The Birdies For Charity program, a component of the tournament’s national fund-raising efforts, has local charitable organizations solicit pledges from individuals, businesses and corporations for every birdie made during the annual tournament. The pros from the PGA Tour did their part by making 1,211 birdies during the championship. The combined effort generated just over $10 million being raised for area charities.
The money realized from the Birdies For Charity program is a major part of the larger final figure of $11,628,787 raised by sponsors, donors, volunteers and fans for charitable organizations throughout the year from tournament activities and initiatives.
The championship’s successful fundraising places it among the top events on the PGA Tour in 2016, and the $10 million raised is the most ever for Colonial. Since the program’s inception in 2005, the campaign has raised more than $58 million for participating charities.
As a bonus, Colonial Country Club and the PGA Tour boosted the pledge efforts with matching funds of $275,000.
“We are thrilled to be part of such a generously philanthropic community,” said Colonial Country Club President Rob Hood. “To be able to leverage the brand of our golf championship in the name of community service is very gratifying. We are so grateful to the many individuals and businesses who support our efforts.”
During the last two decades, the tournament has garnered cash and services for more than 150 different organizations totaling more than $90 million.