Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, one of the designated AT&T Classic charities, was honored as the Charity of the Year. The award, established in 1987, also includes a $25,000 contribution from the TOUR.

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta enhances the lives of children through excellence in patient care, research and education. With 430 licensed beds in two hospitals and more than 380,000 annual patient visits, Children's is one of the largest pediatric healthcare systems in the country. Children's is recognized for excellence in cardiology, cancer treatment, transplant services and many other pediatric specialties.

"As a nonprofit organization, Children's relies upon generous community support like that of the PGA TOUR to help us care for thousands of sick and injured children," remarked Scott Hodoval, vice president of Development, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Foundation. "We're extremely proud of our partnership with the AT&T Classic and honored to have been chosen as the recipient of this prestigious award."

It all began with a dream. In 1964, Atlanta businessman Jim Clay, wanted to bring professional golf to Atlanta. After being turned down by all of the courses in the area about hosting a professional tournament, Clay and six of his friends purchased the land which is now The Atlanta Country Club, and built his own course.

In order to have a PGA TOUR event, there had to be some financial underpinning and a non-profit organization in place. Clay also got fifty or so of his friends together, each putting up $1,000, and The Atlanta Classic Foundation Inc. was chartered. The foundation now consists of 104 members and its non-profit organization continues to be responsible for conducting and promoting the The Classic.

The Classic was one of the first tournaments on the TOUR to obtain a corporate sponsor. Georgia-Pacific Corporation became the title sponsor of the Classic in 1982 and sponsored the event through 1988. In 1989, BellSouth Corporation assumed the title sponsorship role. AT&T became title sponsor in 2007.  The vital support of AT&Tenables the Foundation to continue attracting the finest players on the PGA TOUR.

"When we started this event," reminisced Mark Smith, Jr., the Foundation's first president, "I don't believe any of us had any idea how big this thing would grow beyond our wildest imitation." From that first year, the Classic has grown to become one of the most charitable on the PGA TOUR. During the past eighteen years, the tournament and the Foundation have donated over $16 million to charity, primarily to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

In 1997, with the continued support of the business community, volunteers and fans, the AT&T Classic moved to a new home and began a new era and tradition of giving at the TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Ga.

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta's orignal mission to treat sick children expanded recently through the establishment of the Egleston Children's Health Care System in 1994. Designed to provide for the total health care needs of all Georgia children, this circle of care includes prevention, primary care, urgent care, hospital services and specialty care, and home health care. The goal is a complete health care system that puts children first.

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta's affiliation with the Emory University School of Medicine allows the hospital to stay on the leading edge of medicine through research, teaching, and providing quality critical care services. As the state's only university based children's hospital, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta provides Georgia's children with the most comprehensive pediatric care.

The AT&T Classic, Atlanta's annual stop on the PGA TOUR event since 1967, has reached significant milestones. Including the 2007 donation, the tournament has now contributed more than $15 million to its primary charity, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Children's, formerly known as Egleston Children's Hospital, has been the primary recipient of tournament proceeds since 1981.

"Each year this significant contribution from the AT&T Classic enables Children's Healthcare of Atlanta to purchase the most advanced equipment and to increase the level of care to our young patients," said Douglas Hertz, chairman of the Children's Foundation Board of Trustees.

"We are thrilled to be able to make such a meaningful contribution to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and to several other worthy charities in the Atlanta community," said Tom Coco, President of the Atlanta Classic Foundation, the tournament's organizing body. "This only happens because of the generous corporate commitment provided by AT&T, the business community and the tireless efforts of our 1,800 volunteers."

Coco continued, "The money raised by the tournament has helped the hospital develop its state-of-the-art facilities and further enhances its reputation as one of the nation's finest children's hospitals. We look forward to more great years of association with the AT&T Classic and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta."

Other recipients of 2007 AT&T Classic proceeds include the Atlanta Junior Golf Association and the Georgia State Golf Association's Yates Scholarship Fund.