SAN ANTONIO (June 26, 2019) – The fourth-annual Birdies for Charity’s Breakfast of Champions took place Friday, June 14 at The Rustic. Representatives from more than 250 organizations – charities, schools and program sponsors – from San Antonio, Austin and Corpus Christi attended the event as funds raised through the seven month-long Birdies for Charity campaign were distributed to the 180 participating agencies.
Based on the generous support from donors, $6.376 million was contributed with a collection of 99.845 percent of the fundraising total commitment. The final collections will conclude later this month.
The Birdies for Charity campaign is a charitable initiative organized and supported by the Valero Texas Open, providing over 235 charity organizations throughout the greater San Antonio community and beyond with a fun and unique fundraising platform. The charities also received several financial incentives like the 7% Matching Gift, which totaled nearly $428,000 cumulatively.
Birdies for Charity Ambassadors, Randy Carroll (KJ 97 radio host) and David Chancellor (WOAI news anchor) helped to announce the record-breaking total from the 2019 fundraising program.
Individuals who made contributions to Birdies for Charity had the chance to guess the number of birdies made at the Valero Texas Open in the Guess the Birdies Contest for a chance to win a Stay & Play Package provided by TPC San Antonio and the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa.
Staff member, Misty Szyller, from Boy Scouts of America Alamo Area Council was the only donor to correctly guess 2,883 birdies were made and was surprised to hear she won this year’s contest
Donors who attend at least one day of the Valero Texas Open (Thursday-Sunday) were entered into a grand prize drawing to win a two-year lease on a brand-new 2019 Ford Ranger courtesy of Jordan Ford as part of their 100-year anniversary.
At the conclusion of the Breakfast of Champions, representatives from Jordan Ford together with the Valero Texas Open surprised the Yount family with the keys to their new Ford Ranger.
Richard Yount made a contribution to The First Tee of Greater San Antonio through Birdies for Charity while attending the Valero Texas Open. His wife, Marilu, and son, Riley, had been volunteering their time working at one of the Donation Stations collecting Birdies for Charity donations from spectators. Little did they know Richard’s name would be randomly drawn by tournament officials post-tournament week.
By winning the Donor Attendance contest, the Yount family also earned The First Tee of Greater San Antonio an additional contribution of $20,000 from the Valero Texas Open.
Janina Collins, Executive Director for The First Tee of Greater San Antonio attended the Breakfast of Champions and was so moved by the surprise contribution awarded through this contest. The Yount family’s two children participate in The First Tee program in addition to volunteering their time to the younger children in the Tiny Tigers golf program.
“This means so much and will do great things for the children and the families that participate in The First Tee of Greater San Antonio’s golf programs,” said Collins.
During the fundraising campaign the Wells Fargo Drawing offered a fun way to keep participating charities and schools engaged and motivated. Throughout the seven month campaign, charities were entered into a drawing for every $500 worth of pledges they received for a chance to win $2,000. Six (6) lucky charities earned a cumulative total of $12,000 from the Wells Fargo Drawing. The drawings took place on Facebook Live with the help of Randy Carroll and David Chancellor as they each alternated for each contest to randomly draw a qualified charity.
