Page 29 - South Mississippi Living - August, 2019

Humane Society of South Mississippi
COASTNOTES
Rapiscan Systems Classic Announces
OVER $492,000 TO CHARITY ry by Kelsey Sunderman-Foster photos courtesy of Rapiscan Systems Classic
he Coast is no stranger to charity golf tournaments. Since 2010, South Mississippi has been hosting these fundraising events, first with the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic and now under its new name, the Rapiscan Systems Classic. Since the inception of the tournament, more than $2.7 million has been raised for local charities.
sto
The Rapiscan Systems Classic presented by Coastal Mississippi,
the region’s convention and visitors bureau, recently announced the total charitable contributions from the 2019 tournament: $492,298. The Birdies
for Charity program, which was
made possible by a grant from the
Gulf Coast Community Foundation, assisted local charities in raising over $445,176. The PGA Tour Champions Tournament, which is held annually in March at Fallen Oak, recruited charities throughout the lower six counties in Mississippi to participate in the pledge- based program.
“As title sponsor of the Rapiscan Systems Classic, we are thrilled to be
a part of such an important event on the Mississippi Gulf Coast,” stated Jonathan Fleming, President of S2 Global, sister company to Rapiscan. “Congratulations to the local charities who leveraged this great program to raise an impressive amount for worthy causes. We look forward to supporting Birdies for Charity at the Rapiscan Systems Classic in 2020.”
Birdies for Charity aims to successfully solicit and collection donations for participating 501(c)3 organizations based on the number of birdies made by the PGA Tour
T
Champions players during the 2019 tournament. That number totaled
616 birdies when play culminated on Monday, April 1. Organizations keep 100 percent of their collected donations, and administrative and promotional costs for the program are covered entirely by the tournament.
The program also offers a Matching Funds pool, which gives participating charities the opportunity to raise $500 or more in order to become eligible
to receive a match on every dollar raised. In 2019, charities received a
7.17 percent match on all funds raised. In addition to the matching funds, the participating charities vie for Bonus Bucks that are awarded to the top-three charities raising the most money in the community. The Matching Funds pool and Bonus Bucks are funded by the Gulf Coast Community Foundation.
“It is a pleasure to partner with Rapiscan Systems and the Rapiscan Systems Classic golf tournament
to support local charities,” stated Rodger Wilder, Gulf Coast Community Foundation President. “The PGA TOUR has always been a generous contributor to local charities. As the tournament continues to grow in popularity, we look forward to raising more and more funds for charities in the future.”
1ST PLACE
$166,647.01
Humane Society of South Mississippi
2ND PLACE $103,831.31
Fly Right
3RD PLACE
$98,923.88
Back Bay Mission
FOR MORE REFLECTIONS OF THE GULF COAST >> www.smliving.net
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2019 Birdies for Charity total.
2019 TOP 3 BIRDIES FOR CHARITY TOTALS
Rapiscan Systems Classic
www.rapiscansystems.com