Dolores Hope, an honorary member of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), celebrates a milestone today - May 27, 2009 - as she turns 100 years old. Hope, the wife of late entertainer Bob Hope, was a talented amateur golfer who competed in LPGA tournaments in the 1950s. The friendships she developed through that experience made her and Mr. Hope steadfast supporters of the LPGA and its members ever since.

In 2007 - just days after her 98th birthday - the LPGA announced a $1 million gift from Mrs. Hope to The LPGA Foundation. It remains the largest single gift bestowed to The LPGA Foundation since its creation in 1991. The gift was designated toward The LPGA Foundation Financial Assistance Fund, which was renamed the Dolores Hope LPGA Financial Assistance Initiative in her honor. The initiative benefits members of the LPGA and others within the golf industry who need financial assistance because of serious illness, injury, loss of income or other significant hardship. The donation was also intended to encourage others to give so that those who have contributed to the growth of the LPGA are not forgotten.