As 78 golf professionals compete for a $2-million purse during The Ally Challenge, the Genesee Area Focus Fund (GAFF), the nonprofit arm of the Flint & Genesee Chamber, will also have the chance to benefit from the players’ performance.
Through the tournament’s Birdies for Charity campaign, GAFF and other participating nonprofits can solicit donations and pledges based on the number of birdies* made during the September event. Whatever they raise, Ally Financial will provide a guaranteed 6-percent match.
Considering that PGA TOUR Champions events average about 850 birdies, this offers a great opportunity to raise funding for the afterschool and pre-employment programs GAFF supports, including:
- Career Edge, a series of workshops designed to help adults — particularly the unemployed — prepare for the job market
- TeenQuest, a pre-employment and leadership training program for high school students, ages 14-19, in Genesee County
- Summer Youth Initiative (SYI), which connects TeenQuest graduates with summer job opportunities in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors
- YouthQuest, a comprehensive afterschool program that provides educational, enrichment and physical fitness opportunities for more than 2,000 students in grades K-12 each year
Interested in showing your support? Make a pledge or donation:
- Online at theallychallenge.com/birdies, OR
- Via mail using this pledge card
One-time flat donations will be billed immediately. Per birdie pledges will be billed after the tournament, to be held Sept. 13-16 at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club in Grand Blanc.
For more information, visit www.theallychallenge.com.
*Not a golfer? A birdie is a score of one stroke under par, which is the predetermined number of strokes a expert golfer should require to complete the hole. For example, on a par 5 hole, a score of 4 is a birdie.