The Kids & Their Golf Cart

Every week when you watch the PGA Tour you hear many references to the great charity work that the Tour does.  In the past few months the Tour surpassed $2 billion in charitable donations!  The impact that each tournament has on its local community is incredible.  For instance, the Valero Texas Open donates approximately $10 million annually.  Last week the tour was in Memphis for the FedEx St. Jude Classic and players like Kevin Streelman and tournament champion Ben Crane spent time at St. Jude visiting and playing with the kids.

The charitable aspect of golf is seen and felt in other ways as well.  A perfect example of this is the incredibly generous donation recently made by the St. Louis Cardinals ushers to Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital.  Last fall the ushers group approached Ranken Jordan about making a significant donation and it was decided that they would donate a SoloRider single passenger golf cart!  Two weeks ago that golf cart was delivered to the hospital and the kids could not be any more excited.  In the past we have had to beg and borrow in order to make available one of these golf carts for the kids to use when we go to the golf course.  Now, thanks to the Cardinals ushers, Ranken Jordan has its very own golf cart that the kids will be able to use on a much more frequent basis!  The next time you are at Busch Stadium for a Cardinals game please say "thank you" to the ushers.  They do a lot more than what most people think and deserve to be recognized for it.  The most recent issue of Ladue News featured a photograph on the cover of a group of ushers posing with a SoloRider golf cart.  You can check out the cover photo and accompanying article HERE. 

The St. Louis Cardinals ushers group will not be the only local sports organization contributing to Ranken Jordan this year.  As has been done the past summers and will continue this year, the Gateway PGA will be donating to Ranken Jordan through the PGA Golf Day fund raiser.  Local PGA Professionals will play 100 holes of golf in 1 day to raise money for Ranken Jordan, Hospice of Southern Illinois, Gateway PGA Foundation, Ronald McDonald House, Kids Harbor, and Quincy Area Golf in Schools Program.  Contributing to this great initiative is simple and easy.  You may click HERE to learn more and donate.  Who knows, if you donate at least $50 you might just win an all expenses paid trip for 2 to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic!  The past 2 years the Gateway PGA has raised over $145,000 for a variety of charities and we hope to exceed our past efforts this year!

Giving through golf occurs in a wide variety of ways.  Whether it be financial contributions, volunteer time, or material items, the game gives back in a myriad of ways.  One other way is the traditional charity golf tournament.  Ranken Jordan's annual event is July 7 at Norwood Hills Country Club.  You may call 314.872.6512 or click HERE to register your team.  This year we will have a 30 minute clinic prior to play featuring some of the kids from our golf program.  You will get to see how we work with them, watch them hit golf balls on the range, and have any of your questions answered.  As I have discussed many times in this blog I encourage everybody to get involved in some way.  You can see by the examples in this post that there is ample opportunity for everyone to contribute somehow.  Through your generosity the lives of thousands of kids can and will be improved.