Travelers Championship Generates More Than $760,000 for Charity
The Travelers Championship, Connecticut’s PGA TOUR event, announced that the 2008 tournament generated more than $760,000 for charity and produced millions in economic development for the region. The charitable contributions will benefit more than 120 charities throughout the state of Connecticut and represent an increase of more than 15 percent over the tournament’s 2007 donation.
“As title sponsor, Travelers is proud to lead an event that has the resources to positively impact so many people and organizations in our community through financial contributions and increased awareness of these charities,” said Andy Bessette, executive vice president and chief administrative officer of Travelers. “We are pleased to have delivered a successful event for Connecticut again this year, and we look forward to growing the tournament and ultimately its charitable impact on the community each year.”
Primary beneficiaries of the $760,000 were the Travelers Championship co-charities, The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp and the Greater Hartford Jaycees. In addition, more than 120 Connecticut charitable organizations benefited from the event through a variety of fundraising programs and donations.
“We are immensely grateful for our partnership with the Travelers Championship. This donation provides vital support to The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, enabling us to offer children facing serious illness the chance to build self-esteem and restore joy,” said Ray Lamontagne, chairman of The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. “In addition, through this event, we have been provided excellent media opportunities to increase awareness of the Camp’s remarkable programming.”
Located in Ashford, Conn., The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp is a residential summer camp and year-round center designed to serve children and families coping with cancer and other serious illnesses. At the Camp, youngsters with diagnoses including cancer, sickle cell anemia, HIV/AIDS and hemophilia have the time of their lives, while participating in boating, crafts, swimming, performing arts and more. The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp offers additional programs in the off-season for campers, their families and healthcare professionals. The Camp serves 15,000 children annually, all free of charge. In the words of one young camper, “I love it here. Sometimes you think being sick gives you limits, but the Camp helps you try anything.”
The Greater Hartford Jaycees is a membership organization for 21 – 41 year olds with a mission of leadership development through community service. Members of the Greater Hartford Jaycees are regularly seen in the community building playgrounds, delivering Thanksgiving turkeys to those in need, distributing Easter baskets to underprivileged children and facilitating youth leadership programs for high school students. In addition, the Greater Hartford Jaycees annually distributes thousands of dollars in scholarships and grants throughout the region.
“The Greater Hartford Jaycees is grateful to the thousands of fans, sponsors and volunteers who were part of the 2008 Travelers Championship, all of whom played a direct role in generating this donation,” said Joseph Pompei, president of the Greater Hartford Jaycees. “Through our involvement with the Travelers Championship, members of the Jaycees are able to develop leadership skills by organizing volunteers. With this donation, the organization will positively impact the community through scholarships for young people, grants for various charitable organizations and important community programming, such as Thanksgiving food baskets for those in need.”
More than 120 additional Connecticut charities were beneficiaries of the 2008 Travelers Championship through thousands of dollars raised in the Birdies for Charity pledge-based fundraiser and the Chip In for Charity ticket sales fundraiser. Additionally, the Travelers Championship made contributions to the World Golf Hall of Fame, as well as numerous product donations to regional fundraisers.
New this year, Haggett Longobardi, A Division of J.H. Cohn partnered in the tournament’s charitable giving mission as presenting sponsor of Birdies for Charity, by supporting administration of the program and generously providing a bonus fund for the charities that raised the most money.
“Haggett Longobardi, A Division of J.H. Cohn is proud to be a partner in this important community event. The Travelers Championship’s mission of giving back to Connecticut is complementary to our firm’s values, and we were pleased to find a way that we could support so many charities in our community,” said Frank Longobardi, managing partner. “Our Firm is committed to supporting Birdies for Charity by providing all administrative support and Birdies Bonus Bucks again in 2009. We urge all Connecticut nonprofits to explore this program and hope to see the funds raised continue to grow each year.”
This year’s donation included the tournament’s most successful Birdies for Charity campaign since the program was launched in 2004. The 2008 tournament included more than double the amount of charities participating in the program as compared to 2007.
“The program was so easy. In our first year participating in Birdies for Charity, we raised more than $11,000, plus we earned an additional $2,500 bonus. The funds we raised are going to help us provide our students with updated software needed so each child may continue to improve academically and socially,” said Sally McClure, director of development for the Intensive Education Academy.
Planning is well underway for the 2009 Travelers Championship, which will be held June 22 – 28, 2009 at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn. In addition to generating major charitable contributions, the tournament is a noteworthy economic driver for the state of Connecticut, annually attracting more than 220,000 fans and featuring four days of national television broadcast. Hosting an event of this magnitude results in extensive utilization of area hotels, airports and transportation providers; increased spending in local restaurants and stores; and significant operational expenses invested with a variety of local business to build the Travelers Championship site.
“Based on our investment in the local economy and the funds we raised for charity, the Travelers Championship is truly an event that Connecticut residents can be proud to have in their community. We are grateful for the many companies who supported us as sponsors and the thousands of fans who witnessed the tournament, making it possible for us to generate more then $760,000 for charity,” said Travelers Championship Tournament Director Nathan Grube. “We look forward to another successful tournament in 2009, and encourage everyone to consider how they can play a role in this event. Be it a new charity participating in a tournament fundraiser, new sponsors utilizing the tournament to grow their business, or fans and volunteers coming out to be part of the excitement, this event is truly a community partnership and offers a role for everyone to be involved.
Travelers Championship
The Travelers Championship will be held June 22 – 28, 2009, at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn. As the only PGA TOUR event in the Northeast in early summer, the Travelers Championship is one of the region’s premier sporting events. Primary beneficiaries of the Travelers Championship are The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, serving children facing serious illness, and the Greater Hartford Jaycees, a leadership development and community service organization. The event is sponsored by Travelers, a leading provider of property casualty insurance for home, auto and business. Travelers has been doing business in the community for nearly a century and a half, and today has more than 6,000 employees in the Greater Hartford area. The Official Property Casualty Insurer of the PGA TOUR, Travelers has been a sponsor of this event each year since its inception in 1952, becoming title sponsor in 2007. Complete details are available on www.TravelersChampionship.com.