GCRO gives nearly $15K to charities
Marion, Iowa // February, 2016
The Greater Cedar Rapids Open Foundation is pleased to announce that it was able to give back almost $15,000 in charitable donations to the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City Corridor in 2015.
This is the highest amount of donations the organization has made since 2000, the second year of the tournament. It includes an $8,000 donation to the Iowa PGA Foundation for its new “Iowa PGA Swings with Kids” golf program. The GCRO is the top donor to date for that new Iowa PGA Section initiative.
“Thanks to the support of all of our local donors, especially our title sponsor, TrueNorth, and our presenting sponsor, Granite City, we were able to make some substantial charitable contributions to programs that have a direct effect on our community,” said Jim McPartland, GCRO co-founder. “We’re very proud and excited to be part of many programs within the community, both new and old, that help and support many people in the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City area.
“The GCRO had a fantastic year last year and it was all because of our donors and sponsors and the many, many volunteers who have helped us throughout the year and especially during our tournament,” continued McPartland. “With everyone’s help, we were not only able to put on a top-notch tournament for aspiring PGA golfers, but we were also able to promote the game of golf and make significant contributions to organizations and programs within our community. We take great pride in those achievements.”
In another major announcement, the 2016 TrueNorth Greater Cedar Rapids Open has increased its purse for the second straight year and will award $25,000 to its champion in July.
The GCRO will also hold a competition this year between local high school golfers to earn an entry-free spot into the Amateur division of the tournament.
The 2016 True North GCRO, the 18th edition of the tournament, will be held July 19-23 at Hunters Ridge Golf Course in Marion. Several GCRO “graduates” have gone on to have fine careers in professional golf, including 2001 GCRO winner and Cedar Rapids native Zach Johnson, the 2015 British Open champion.
Following is a detailed listing of the contributions made by the GCRO from its 2015 tournament proceeds:
• Donated $8,000 to the Iowa PGA Foundation’s new “Iowa PGA Swings with Kids” golf program – a complete physical education curriculum for school districts in the state of Iowa. It includes equipment and syllabus with plans to begin instruction by PGA professionals in the spring. The GCRO contribution was earmarked for Cedar Rapids area schools. For more information, visit www.iowapgafoundation.org/swings-with-kids.
• Donated $2,000 to the Cedar Rapids Optimist Junior Golf Association, which annually organizes and promotes at least five local tournaments for junior boys and girls ages 8-18 to promote sportsmanship and healthy competition.
• Divided $1,475 in varying amounts to the golf programs of eight different high schools in the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City Corridor that participated in our 2015 GCRO Caddie Program. The GCRO also paid out a total of $2,500 directly to the caddies for their work at last year’s tournament.
• Donated $1,000 to the GIVE Foundation. GIVE stands for Golf for Injured Veterans Everywhere and is an Iowa-based collaboration between the Iowa PGA Foundation, the Riverside Casino & Golf Resort, the Iowa City VA Health Care System, and the VA Central Iowa Health Care System. It is a non-profit organization formed to provide a structured golf program for injured Iowa military veterans. For more information, go to www.giveforveterans.com.
• Donated $1,000 to the Veterans Administration in Iowa City for its General Purpose Fund, which is used for anything from personal hygiene items to bus fare and coffee service for our veterans.
• Donated $500 to the Salvation Army junior programs.
• Donated $500 to the Boys & Girls Club of Cedar Rapids.
• Donated $500 to Camp Courageous.
Last year’s final donation total of $14,975 raised the grand total of GCRO contributions to community to $140,675 since the tournament’s inception in 1999.
