BMW Charity Pro-Am

GREENVILLE, S.C. (January 11, 2006) - South Carolina Charities, Inc., the foundation of the BMW Charity Pro-Am at The Cliffs, has selected 29 Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina charities to receive proceeds from its 2006 golf tournament. The charities are:

A Child's Haven, Inc.; Blue Ridge Literacy Council; Bon Secours St. Francis Health System Foundation, Inc.; Boy Scouts of America; Compass of Carolina; Fellowship of Christian Athletes; Foothills Family Resources; Hands on Greenville; Hidden Treasure; Mountain Area Child and Family Center; National Christian College Athletic Association; North Greenville University; North Greenville Food Crisis Ministry; Partners for a Healthy Community, Inc.; Phillis Wheatley Association; Pickens County Sheriff's Scholarship Foundation; Pickens County YMCA; Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Carolinas; St. Joseph's Catholic School; The Charles Lea Center; The Eblen Charities; The First Tee; The Walker Foundation; United Ministries; Young Life; Zest Quest.

Three of the charities - Mobile Meals of Spartanburg's International Challenge Cup, South Carolina Junior Golf Foundation and Upstate Alliance Education Foundation - are partners of the BMW Charity Pro-Am at The Cliffs and have events that take place as part of the tournament.

"The board of South Carolina Charities, Inc. (SCCI) received hundreds of applications from worthy charities," said Bobby Hitt, president of South Carolina Charities, Inc. "All of us involved in the tournament are pleased that the selected organizations are partnering with SCCI to receive funds that will benefit so many people throughout our community. In addition to the money received from the net proceeds of the event, the tournament allows charities to increase the amount of money they receive by selling patron tickets, placing teams in the Charity Challenge Pro-Am, and providing volunteers to work at the tournament."

Each of the 29 charities will receive 100 percent of the proceeds gained by selling $25 General Admission tickets (In order for the charities to receive proceeds, tickets must be purchased directly from them or a charity must be designated when orders are placed). Each of the 29 charities are also encouraged to field golf teams for the Monday, April 24, Charity Challenge Pro-Am golf tournament held at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove. The winning Pro-Am team will earn $20,000 that will be distributed to the charity of their choice. All other Charity Challenge Pro-Am teams will donate half of their entrance fee ($3,000 per twosome) to the charity of their choice. Each charity is also encouraged to provide as many volunteers as possible. At the end of the tournament, two names will be drawn from the volunteer corps and a $2,500 donation will be made in their name to the charity of their choice.

"Involving these charities is a wonderful way to utilize their resources," said Darin MacDonald, tournament director of the BMW Charity Pro-Am at The Cliffs. "It also encourages the charities to get more involved in a visible and dynamic manner, and to earn more charitable dollars. The more they put into it, the more they get out of it."

The 2006 BMW Charity Pro-Am at The Cliffs golf tournament will be played April 27-30, 2006 at The Cliffs Valley, The Cliffs at Walnut Cove and The Cliffs and Keowee Vineyards golf courses. All four rounds will be televised live by The Golf Channel.

The BMW Charity Pro-Am at The Cliffs is the only tournament on the Nationwide Tour where amateurs and celebrities are grouped with Nationwide Tour professionals in a three-day better-ball competition. Amateurs, celebrities and pros will rotate between each of the three courses on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with the 14 lowest scoring pro-amateur/pro-celebrity teams advancing to play Sunday's final round. Celebrities will play once at each course on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The professional winner of the overall 72-hole event will take home $112,500 from the total purse of $625,000, which is one of the largest purses on the Nationwide Tour. Amateurs and celebrities will compete for individual prizes and cash donations to the charity of their choice out of the beneficiaries selected by South Carolina Charities, Inc.
The first five tournaments have raised more than $3 million for area charities.

For more information on the BMW Charity Pro-Am at The Cliffs golf tournament; sponsorship opportunities, charitable funding or volunteer opportunities, call (864) 297-1660 or visit the tournament's website at www.bmwcharitygolf.com.