Safeway Classic again generates $1 Million for Local Children's Charities
Fourth Consecutive Year of $1 Million or More in Donations
Tournament Golf Foundation (TGF) and the Safeway Foundation, today announced that local children's charities would benefit from $1 million in proceeds from the 2009 Safeway Classic.
The 2009 Safeway Classic Presented by Coca-Cola was the 38th consecutive year the LPGA tour event was brought to Portland by TGF. The event, originally called the Portland Classic, has now donated more than $14 million to local children's charities since its inception in 1972, with $11 million coming in the past fourteen years with Safeway as title sponsor. 2009 was the fourth consecutive year and fifth in total that the tournament has generated at least $1 million for charity.
The Safeway Foundation and Tournament Golf Foundation will disburse the funds to local organizations in Oregon. The main charities from the 2009 event include Easter Seals of Oregon, the Evans Scholars Foundation, Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland, Trillium Family Services, Police Activities League, the Children's Course and Oregon Junior Golf. In addition, many other local children's charities will be impacted with supplemental distributions from the 2009 tournament.
"Thanks to the incredible support of Safeway, our other sponsors, our volunteers and record crowds, we are pleased that we were able to meet our goals for giving from the 2009 tournament. The past year has been a difficult one for many non-profits and businesses and so we know that these donations come at a critical time for many organizations that are vital to the success of our event," said Tom Maletis, President of TGF.
"The Safeway Foundation is proud to partner with TGF to provide this support to programs that impact such a wide variety of charities throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington," added Steve Frisby, Safeway's Portland Division President.
The tournament was held on the Ghost Creek course at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club for the first time in 2009. The move to the new venue was met with record crowds. Over 87,000 fans attended the 2009 tournament, breaking the attendance record set the previous year at Columbia-Edgewater by over 15,000. "2009 marked the fourth consecutive year of record crowds for the event," said Maletis. "This is a testament to the growing popularity of the LPGA in the Northwest."
The 2010 edition of The Safeway Classic Presented by Coca-Cola will again be held at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club August 16-22, with the 54-hole tournament proper being played Friday-Sunday. The purse will be $1.5 million.
"Safeway is thrilled to continue our sponsorship of the Safeway Classic. The 2010 event will mark the 15th anniversary of Safeway as title sponsor," said Frisby. "In addition to being a great event for fans, the money that is distributed to local charities in Oregon makes it even more rewarding for our organization."
M.J. Hur won the 2009 event in a two-hole playoff with Michele Redman and Suzann Pettersen. The field for the 2010 event should be excellent, according to Maletis, coming two weeks after the Ricoh Women's British Open.
TGF is looking for new volunteers to supplement the current group of over 1,000. Interested individuals can contact the TGF office at 503-626-2711 or visit the website at www.safewayclassic.com.
Tournament Golf Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) charitable non-profit organization, is a local Portland area group of volunteers who donate their time and provide the primary operations for the annual event. Begun in 1972, the group is now comprised of 42 local individuals and couples.
Safeway Inc. is a Fortune 100 company and one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America based on sales. The Company operates 1,739 stores in the United States and Western Canada, and had sales of $44 billion in 2008. The Company's stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SWY. Safeway's Portland division operates 116 stores in Oregon and Southwest Washington.
For more information on the Safeway Classic Presented by Coca-Cola and Tournament Golf Foundation, visit www.safewayclassic.com. For more information on Safeway Stores, visit www.safeway.com.