'Giving Back Week' reveals impact on local community

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Local golfers like Frank Lickliter, Mark McCumber, Jim Furyk, Jeff Klauk and Fred Funk participated in "Giving Back Week".

In 2008, THE PLAYERS celebrated "Giving Back Week," Nov. 17-21. "Giving Back Week" featured five events across the First Coast, one each day, at charities that received support from THE PLAYERS. A record $3 million raised by the 2008 event was announced on Nov. 17 in a special section of the Florida Times-Union.

PLAYERS Total Charity Grows

THE PLAYERS Championship contributes to a diverse group of charities throughout Northeast Florida, living by the PGA TOUR's mission to give back to the communities in which it plays. Since 1977, when THE PLAYERS moved to Ponte Vedra Beach, more than $31 million has been contributed to Northeast Florida charities, ranging from healthcare to youth and education to human services. For more information, visit PGATOUR.COM/THEPLAYERS. The PGA TOUR and its tournaments on the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour collectively generated another record amount for charity in 2008, with a total of $124 million. This brings the TOUR's all-time charity total to more than $1.3 billion.

The esteemed Red Coats kicked off the week's events by personally delivering nearly $200,000 in charitable giving to 16 of the 94 charities. PGA TOUR player Frank Lickliter II rode along with one of the teams that visited the Mayport USO among its many stops.

Mark McCumber, the 1988 PLAYERS Champion, helped commemorate the start of "THE PLAYERS Free Tuesdays" at The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens. Courtesy of THE PLAYERS, the Cummer is open to the public, free of charge, every Tuesday from 4-9 p.m. Sports personalities from the local networks, such as Dan Hicken, Sam Kouvaris and Brian Sexton also participated along with McCumber in the "Artful Swings" event.

On Wednesday, PGA TOUR professional Jim Furyk and his wife Tabitha made a surprise visit to North Shore K-8 Micro Society School to pay tribute to the Teach For America teachers helping North Shore students succeed. This state-of-the-art school opened in March after three area schools were shut down. The school has 14 teachers in the Teach For America program. Teach For America was brought to Jacksonville thanks in part to a multi-year grant from THE PLAYERS.

Jeff Klauk, the 2009 PGA TOUR rookie, and his wife Shanna helped highlight THE PLAYERS' multi-year commitment to the new Beaches Community Healthcare, a Sulzbacher Clinic, on Thursday of "Giving Back Week."

The Klauks took a hard-hat tour of the new facility, unloaded food to stock the BEAM pantry and served lunch, provided by TPC Sawgrass, to participants.

In addition, THE PLAYERS held a Community Health Fair during the event, offering health screenings, free flu shots, nutritional information, dental hygiene supplies and more.

The final "Giving Back Week" event highlighted THE PLAYERS' contribution to THE PLAYERS Community Senior Center, opened in June 2007. PGA TOUR professional and 2005 PLAYERS Champion Fred Funk and PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem each led a team made up of center members on the final four holes of THE PLAYERS Stadium Course on the Nintendo Wii version of EA's "Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 09." Team Finchem took the trophy.

A new putting green for the center's members was also unveiled, courtesy of THE PLAYERS and Southwest Greens. Many of the 1,200 center members have volunteered at the tournament through the years and THE PLAYERS continues to support the facility with funding from tournament proceeds, including money raised during the 2008 event.