BI-LO Charities Announces Fundraising Goal for 27th Annual BI-LO Charity Classic
March 10, 2010GREENVILLE, C – March 9, 2010 – BI-LO Charities announced the fundraising goal of $4.5 million for the 2010 BI-LO Charity Classic golf tournament at a press conference today at the Carolina First Center. Scheduled June 5 – 7, 2010, the BI-LO Charity Classic is played on 14 different golf courses throughout the Carolinas with more than 1,000 golfers from around the country participating.
This year’s goal is $200,000 more than what was raised in 2009, which is aggressive, but we’ve never missed a goal, said Michael Byars, President and CEO of BI-LO and chairman of BI-LO Charities.
Celebrating its 27th year, the Charity Classic has raised more than $48 million for non-profit organizations throughout BI-LO’s four state operating region of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. More than 300 non-profit organizations received funding in 2009 that focus on BI-LO Charities’ three key initiatives of children, education and hunger relief.
Not only does the BI-LO Charity Classic allow us to give back to the communities where we live and serve, it also brings more than $3 million in economic impact to the Upstate during the tournament, said Anthea Jones, senior vice president of store operations and co-chairman of the BI-LO Charity Classic.
For the fourth year, BI-LO Charity Classic will host the First Tee Invitational on Friday, June 4, benefiting the children of Greenville’s and Spartanburg’s First Tee Chapters. These children will receive valuable tips and instruction from PGA Professionals and college golfers and will play nine holes with an adult mentor. The First Tee program’s mission is to impact young lives by providing learning facilities and educational programs that promote character development and life enhancing values taught through the game of golf.
To sign up for the BI-LO Charity Classic or for more information about the tournament, please call 864-286-5895 or visit www.bi-locharities.org.
About the BI-LO Charity Classic
The BI-LO Charity Classic began in 1984 as a fundraiser for Meals on Wheels and has grown to be the largest one-day charity golf tournament in the United States. During the past 26 years the tournament has raised more than $48 million to support hundreds of charities throughout BI-LO’s four-state operating area of South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia, including Funds from the Charity Classic go toward supporting organizations that focus on BI-LO Charities’ key initiatives to children, education and hunger relief.