Champions Tour recognizes 2008 Charity of the Year

text size

BOCA RATON, Fla. -- The Champions Tour has selected Community Grief Support Service, of Homewood, Ala., a beneficiary of the Regions Charity Classic in Birmingham, as its 2008 Charity of the Year. The announcement was made yesterday by Champions Tour President Mike Stevens at the Champions Tour's annual player awards dinner held in conjunction with this week's Allianz Championship at the Broken Sound Club in Boca Raton, Fla.

Badz/PGA TOUR

Champions Tour President Mike Stevens (right) presents Carol MacMillan with a $30,000 check.

Related

Rietzel named Volunteer of Year
Langer selected as POY
Photos: Player of Year dinner

Also honored at the dinner were the previously announced 2008 Champions Tour player award winners; Bernhard Langer (Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Jack Nicklaus Trophy, Arnold Palmer Award and Byron Nelson Award) and Jay Haas (Charles Schwab Cup). Sue Rietzel of the Toshiba Classic in Newport Beach, Calif., was honored as 2008 Champions Tour Volunteer of the Year.

As the 2008 Champions Tour Charity of the Year, Community Grief Support Service will receive $30,000 from the Tour. The Community Grief Support Service provides support to the bereaved in the Greater Birmingham area through grief counseling, education and support groups. Grief issues are a largely unrecognized and underserved health and human services issue in the U.S., costing businesses more than $75 billion each year due to lost productivity, accidents and impaired decision-making caused by the anguish of losing a loved one. Community Grief Support Service is dedicated to helping the bereaved work through their grief through companionship and professional counseling. The organization provides its services free of charge to the community and does not receive any government or agency funding.

"We are honored that the Champions Tour has selected us as Charity of the Year," said Carol MacMillan, Executive Director of Community Grief Support Service. "The Champions Tour's generous donation will allow us to continue our mission of helping Birmingham-area residents to heal and regain control of their lives following the death of a loved one."

"Providing funds to charities in our community is the single most rewarding thing we do at the Regions Charity Classic," said Tournament Director Sabrina Butler. "We work with so many outstanding charities each year and I am thrilled that this gift will help Community Grief Support Service continue to spread rays of hope in the lives of the bereaved in our community."

"It's an honor to recognize Community Grief Support Service as the Champions Tour's 2008 Charity of the Year," said Stevens. "They are a fantastic organization with an important mission and we couldn't be happier than to present them with this gift."

MacMillan said the organization plans to use the $30,000 donation to establish loss-specific, curriculum-based grief support groups in 2009 led by professional counselors for underserved areas in the Birmingham area.

The Charity of the Year nomination and selection process was conducted jointly by the Champions Tour and the Champions Tour Tournament Association (CTTA).

The 2009 Regions Charity Classic will be played May 11-17 at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Ross Bridge. Andy Bean is defending champion.