When it comes to giving back to its community, the John Deere Classic is the PGA Tour Champion. The JDC has again topped itself, in terms of raising money for charity.
Tournament officials gathered at the John Deere Pavilion Wednesday where Volunteer Chairman Todd Raufheisen joined Tournament Director Clair Peterson to make the announcement. Peterson turned over the tote board to reveal that more than $6.78 million dollars were raised during the July, 2012 event at the TPC at Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. That's a whopping increase of $1-and-a-half million over the 2011 Charity total.
"Well, this is our main mission,"said Peterson. "To raise money for charity and obviously tournament week is very exciting, but knowing that we had another record year, $1.5 million more than last year, get it to almost $6.8 million dollars is really exciting and that's what we work 52 weeks a year to try and deliver and we're really happy today," he added.
493 local and regional charity organizations will benefit from the windfall. The Tournament's corporate sponsor, Deere & Company made a special donation of $110,000 to mark the company's 175th anniversary.
"Everyone today is getting 100 percent of what we collected on their behalf, plus an eight percent bonus, said Director of JDC Birdies for Charity, Kristy Ketcham Jackson.
"Through our tournament revenues and support from John Deere, not only are we proud of the QC and what this community does for our charities, but we really are the envy of the PGA Tour and big cities across the country," Jackson said.
Participants can make a pledge a pledge to Birdies for Charity based on the number of birdies made during the tournament. This year, that number was 2,113.
