A birdie is always a good thing in golf. The more birdies a professional golfer makes, the better their chances are of taking home a lot of money.
And during the 2022 Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, birdies not only helped golfers but also numerous charities throughout the Metroplex as the Birdies for Charity program passed the $17 million mark for the first time.
Leading up to the 2022 PGA Tour event held Memorial Day weekend, local nonprofit groups worked to secure pledges from friends and businesses for the tournament’s annual campaign that featured 33 Birdies charities. Then the pros did their part by making 1,114 birdies during the four-day championship.
The final impact figure was $17.6 million, which included $16 million from the tournament itself, along with other community service activities and initiatives.
“We are so happy to be in a position to support so many great charities in the Tarrant County area,” Colonial Tournament Chairman Jim Whitten said. “Some of these organizations have been with us for more than 15 years, but they have been in the community even longer than that. We are proud to have a meaningful impact on their service to others.”
Of the PGA Tour events staging Birdies For Charity campaigns, Colonial’s figure this year is one of the largest.
The 76-year-old championship at Colonial has generated cash and services nearing $170 million for more than 150 different organizations in the past two decades. Since the inception of Birdies for Charities locally in 2005, the annual campaign has itself generated more than $135 million for participating charities.
The 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.
Military related charities are also a significant part of the tournament’s activities. Working with Military Warriors Support Foundation, Colonial has helped donate 23 homes to injured veterans in recent years.
Colonial partners with Lockheed Martin to send care packages overseas to soldiers. This year the club also hosted a Jordan Spieth Foundation event, Operation Shower, to support military families who are expecting, with one parent overseas.
One of the Colonial charities, The Warm Place, was honored this past year as the PGA Tour Charity of the Year. The agency provides grief-support services for children and their families after the loss of a loved one.
The Birdies charity groups are:
- ACH Child and Family Services
- HOPE Farm, Inc.
- Alliance for Children
- Imagination Fort Worth
- Baylor Scott & White All Saints Health Foundation
- Kids Who Care
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Tarrant County
- Komen Greater Fort Worth
- Camp Fire USA First Texas Council
- Lena Pope
- Cancer Care Services
- Lighthouse for the Blind
- CASA of Tarrant County
- Presbyterian Night Shelter
- Cassata High School
- Recovery Resource Council
- Child Study Center
- Ronald McDonald House
- Communities in Schools of Tarrant County
- SafeHaven of Tarrant County
- Community Storehouse
- Texas Health Resources Foundation
- Cornerstone Assistance Network
- Texas Wesleyan University
- The First Tee of Fort Worth
- The WARM Place
- Fort Worth Museum of Science & History
- A Wish With Wings
- Fort Worth Youth Orchestra
- YMCA of Metropolitan Fort Worth
- The Gatehouse
- Gill Children’s Services
- Happy Hill Farm Academy