'Playing with a Purpose' highlights PGA TOUR's charitable efforts

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Giving back has been an essential element of the PGA TOUR culture since the first tournament donation to charity was made in 1938. Over the ensuing 72 years, more than $1.5 billion has been donated by TOUR events for the betterment of the communities in which they are held. Moreover, PGA TOUR members have become actively involved in charitable work, many through their own foundations.

"Playing with a Purpose presented by Barclays," an hour-long CBS Sports special airing Saturday, Aug. 21 at 5 p.m. ET, documents the charitable commitments by players and organizations within the TOUR family while sharing the inspirational stories of those who have benefited from these efforts.

Among the stories to be told are:

• The work of Phil and Amy Mickelson to support America's servicemen and women. Birdies for the Brave, which has become the PGA TOUR's overarching program to support our military, was originally created by the Mickelsons to help those who have been injured during combat. As part of this, Homes For Our Troops builds new homes and adapts existing homes for handicap accessibility for veterans who have returned from combat with serious injuries and disabilities. Homes For Our Troops uses donations of home construction materials and labor as well as monetary contributions to adapt and build these homes at no cost to the veterans.

"We have these soldiers that are fighting for our lives," Mickelson says. "Some come back and have their quality of life altered through disabilities. This (HFOT) provides homes that can help improve that quality of life for these soldiers and their families."

• Padraig Harrington, a three-time major champion and winner of The Barclays in 2005, has been involved with the Special Olympics since 2003 and was recently named a Global Ambassador for Golf to help spread the Special Olympics' message of acceptance and inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities across the world. Harrington will help further golf within the Special Olympics and become the face of the organization's new Sports Resource website, where coaches will provide training exercises and guidance to athletes.

• Through the charitable efforts of The Barclays -- the first of four PGA TOUR Playoff events for the FedExCup -- the Red Cross has received funding to help disaster relief efforts in the New York/New Jersey area. Money from The Barclays also has supported the American Red Cross of Northern New Jersey's Jane Bente Braille Center. The Center is the largest remaining volunteer Braille production center in the world and provides New Jersey Braille readers in grades K through 12 with all of their textbooks transcribed in every subject.

• The PGA TOUR Wives Association provides assistance to needy children and their families through a variety of programs, one of which is Blessings in a Backpack. Blessings provides weekend nourishment to elementary school children who qualify for free or reduced fee meals under the National School Lunch Program, so they return to school on Monday full of energy and ready to learn. Through this program, more than 24,000 children in 16 states receive a backpack filled with food for the weekends. Participating schools have seen increases in test scores and attendance.

• Kenny Perry's impact on his hometown of Franklin, Ky., has been dramatic, from building the only public golf facility in the county to spearheading the construction of the Franklin Boys & Girls Club by donating $125,000 and serving as a major fundraiser. The club opened in 2007 and more than 500 kids have taken advantage of the low $12 membership.

Other players highlighted in Playing with a Purpose presented by Barclays include Steve Stricker, two-time PGA TOUR Comeback Player of the Year and winner of the very first Playoff event at the 2007 Barclays, who has demonstrated his loyalty to his home state of Wisconsin; Anthony Kim, who is co-chair of The First Tee Young Ambassadors Council; Davis Love III, who will serve as tournament chairman of the new McGladrey Classic at his home course in Sea Island, Ga., a tournament that will benefit Special Olympics and the Davis Love Foundation; and Brad Faxon and Billy Andrade, who have supported causes in Rhode Island and Massachusetts since 1991.

Finally, Playing with a Purpose presented by Barclays will highlight the PGA TOUR's Together, anything's possible initiative, designed to bring attention to and further the impact of TOUR-wide charitable efforts and build a community of tournaments, players, charities, sponsors, partners, volunteers and fans who are committed to making a social investment by helping others. Central to this initiative is the TOUR's new charity website, pgatour.com/together.

The special airs the Saturday prior to The Barclays and the start of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.

For a preview of Playing with a Purpose presented by Barclays please click here.