Greater Kansas City Golf Classic Names Charities

The Greater Kansas City Golf Classic has announced that proceeds from the 2006 Champions Tour event will benefit three local organizations – The First Tee/Junior Golf Foundation of Greater Kansas City, First Hand Foundation, and the YMCA of Greater Kansas City. The tournament is managed by The Pride of Kansas City Foundation, and the organization has distributed over $900,000 to Kansas City-based charities in the past three years. This year's event will be held June 26 - July 2, 2006 at The Nicklaus Golf Club at LionsGate in Overland Park, Kan.

"We are pleased, along with our sponsors – Sprint Nextel, HCA Midwest Health System, Garmin, and Cerner – to designate these three wonderful organizations to be the primary beneficiaries for this year's event," said Bob Burris, executive director of the tournament. "We welcome the opportunity to provide assistance and help these organizations attain their individual goals."

The First Tee of Kansas City's principal purpose is to function as a youth development organization that uses golf as the context to help young people acquire a set of Life Skills that will help them in all aspects of their life. The First Tee of Greater Kansas City is operated by The Junior Golf Foundation of Greater Kansas City.

"It is an honor for The First Tee of Greater Kansas City to be involved with the Champions Tour," said Patrick M. Zuk, executive director, The First Tee/Junior Golf Foundation of Greater Kansas City. "The First Tee and the Champions Tour have an ongoing relationship at the national level and we are excited to enhance our involvement on the local level."

Established in 1995, the First Hand Foundation focuses on pediatric healthcare. The First Hand mission is to directly impact the health status of a young life. First Hand assists individual children who have clinically relevant, health-related needs and no financial net to cover these expenses. Through this individual focus, First Hand reaches children throughout the world who might normally fall through the cracks of insurance coverage and state aid. The foundation strives to provide assistance that creates independence, rather than dependence, for its recipients.

"The First Hand Foundation focuses on the needs of children who have fallen through the financial safety nets within the healthcare system. By connecting the child, the provider, the need and the financial wherewithal, we are able to directly impact the future of that individual child," said Jeanne Patterson, director of the First Hand Foundation. "We applaud the Greater Kansas City Golf Classic for its philanthropic focus on children."

The YMCA nurtures the healthy development of children and teens; strengthens families; and makes its community a healthier, safer, better place to live. YMCAs are for people of all faiths, races, abilities, ages and incomes. No one is turned away for inability to pay. YMCAs' strength is in the people they bring together.

"The YMCA is honored to have been selected as a charity for The Greater Kansas City Golf Classic," said H. Eugene Dooley, President and CEO, YMCA of Greater Kansas City. "The funds raised will allow us to provide programs that build strong kids, strong families and strong communities for people of all incomes."

YMCA programs are tools for building the values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility. Longtime leaders in community-based health and wellness and aquatics, YMCAs teach kids to swim, offer exercise classes for people with disabilities and lead a variety of health and wellness programs. The YMCA also offers hundreds of programs in response to community needs, including before/after school child care, early learning programs (the Y movement is the nation's and our area's largest not-for-profit provider), teen clubs, youth sports and family programs.

The format of the Greater Kansas City Golf Classic allows golf fans the chance to see 76 Champions Tour legends team up with 76 amateurs in a team format, similar to the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. The low 12 teams with scores posted during the Friday and Saturday Pro-Am will advance into Sunday’s final round.

For additional information, please contact Burris at 913/814-7744, or email bob@prideofkc.org.