Over 45 organizations throughout southwest Missouri will benefit from this year’s Price Cutter Charity Championship in Springfield. Officials have set a goal to generate $1 million.
Celebrating its 25th year in Springfield, the tournament serves as a leg of the Web.com Tour in which amateur golfers work to earn a Professional Golfers’ Association TOUR card. But the event also prides itself in giving back what it brings in, gifting nearly $11 million to area organizations to date. Last year alone, the Price Cutter Charity Championship raised roughly $850,000.
Three charities will participate for the first time this year. Brian Mansker is with the Christian County Crisis Center, which services women and children from six area counties with domestic violence issues. But on average, a lack of resources forces the shelter to turn away 50 women a month, which is why Mansker is grateful for the proceeds the golf tournament will help bring in.
“Every dollar that you guys give that comes to these charities helps kids, helps people in the Ozarks. And it makes it available to make the area that we love even greater,” Mansker said.
Other organizations have benefited from the event for 10 plus years, while the Ronald McDonald House is the tournament’s only 25 year charity. Bonnie Keller, president and CEO, said it’s helped provide a foundation for the organization to continue to help families into the future. She says of the $83,000 it received the first year of the tournament, 75 percent was invested into an endowment so it would be donor designated.
“We invested it with the Community Foundation and every three months we receive a check that goes toward the operation of the [Ronald McDonald] House near Cox [Health] and we’ve been receiving it for 25 years. So not only has future proceeds made an incredible difference in the organization, but we continue to benefit from that first year,” Keller said.
The Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr. Pepper will hold a number of events and fundraisers over the next two months leading up to the tournament, scheduled for August 7-10 at Highland Springs Country Club. See a full list of events and details.
In 2013, the tournament was dedicated to longtime philanthropist John Q. Hammons, who died earlier that year.