Riding Out in Style

November 1, 2011

By Doug Milne, PGA TOUR Staff

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—The Red Coats of THE PLAYERS Championship are celebrated in Northeast Florida for their ubiquitous presence as it relates to charitable giving. But on Nov. 1, the jacketed group of past, present and future chairmen and women covered an extraordinary amount of communal ground. Literally.

In May, the PLAYERS Championship raised and donated a record $5.9 million for more than 200 local charitable organizations. That culminated with the annual Red Coat Ride Out.

Recipients of this year’s final three checks were distributed—in-person— first to River Garden, a non-profit agency devoted to programs and services to improve the lives of senior citizens. Specifically, THE PLAYERS Championship donated a new Ford Transit for the River Garden Geriatric Training Program. The vehicle will assist in transporting patients to off-site rehab facilities.

“River Garden believes in excellence,” said Martin Goetz, River Garden executive director. “That is why we are so honored to be thought of by THE PLAYERS and its Red Coats. Excellence isn’t achieved by accident. It happens through hands that care and hard work. Here at River Garden, we firmly believe in the fifth commandment, to honor thy mother and father. We thank THE PLAYERS for helping us pursue that dream become even more of a reality.”

The Red Coat Ride Out continued, this time to Jacksonville’s Northside and the Gilbert Middle School. There, students, faculty and board members attended, as a “complete library” set of books was donated to the school. With the donation, THE PLAYERS charitable heart for education will once again impact the Teach for America Jacksonville, Take Stock in Children Across the First Coast and the Read it Forward, Jax programs. Read it Forward, Jax is a Duval County public schools initiative which unites all facets of the community to teach area children the importance of reading.

“I love to read and always have,” admitted eighth-grade Gilbert Middle School student, Alvin Nelson. “I am very grateful for this gift to us and our school. Without this place and the help I get here, I would not be the person I am today.”

“This is such a unique and wonderful opportunity for these great children,” said school board member Paula Wright. “This is more about unity and support for tomorrow’s leaders today. That is the power of togetherness.”

The Teach for America program at Gilbert is an extension of THE PLAYERS $400,000 grant to Teach for America Jacksonville, which impacts approximately 8,000 students in many of the city’s highest-needs schools.

The presentation at Gilbert Middle School also highlighted a $125,000 grant from THE PLAYERS, which will provide 10 annual college scholarships for the next five years.

“The PLAYERS Championship is making a difference in the lives of kids in many meaningful ways as demonstrated by its support of these three important education initiatives,” said Principal Evan P. Daniels.

The final stop of the Red Coat Ride Out was to the Sanctuary on 8th Street, met by 40 enthusiastic inner-city children. In a large room filled floor-to-ceiling with vibrant colors and uplifting quotes, Executive Director Vicky Watkins was surprised by one color in particular—red. The Red Coats announced to Sanctuary on 8th Street the funded formation of an after-school tutoring program.

“In an economy where funds are so hard to raise, this is beyond my wildest dreams,” said Watkins. “These kids come from all walks of life, all kinds of backgrounds and bring with them all different levels of education. For THE PLAYERS Championship to do this for us is remarkable. We could have never done it without the support of THE PLAYERS Championship.”