THE PLAYERS Pledge Becomes a Reality

PGA TOUR star Jim Furyk continues to lead the way in his work with Wolfson's Children's Hospital, not far from his Florida home.
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October 17, 2011

By Doug Milne, PGA TOUR Staff

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—Sixty-thousand. That’s a sellout crowd at Soldier Field in Chicago. It’s also the number of participants in this year’s world-renowned Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta.

But, 60,000 is also representative of how many children are rushed to an emergency room annually in North Florida and South Georgia. In addition, there are 60,000 kids in a five-county area in North Florida living without healthcare.

On Oct. 17, Wolfson Children’s Hospital, in conjunction with THE PLAYERS Championship, announced a new program to educate the community on child safety and injuries programs to tackle those growing problems among youth.

Eighteen months ago, 2010 PGA TOUR Player of the Year, FedExCup champion and area resident Jim Furyk listened as PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem pledged $50 million from THE PLAYERS Championship charities over the course of the next 10 years, specifically for youth-related charities.

This week, the first $1 million of that pledge was put into place as Wolfson Children’s Hospital announced the creation of THE PLAYERS Center for Child Health. 

In front of local dignitaries, media and families of patients, Hugh Greene, president and CEO of Baptist Health, painted a portrait of the plan with words, a plan he said would be impossible to achieve without the $1 million pledge from funds raised at the 2011 PLAYERS.

“First of all, we couldn’t do this without THE PLAYERS,” said Wolfson Children’s Hospital President Michael Aubin. “The difference this is going to make in our community is that there are going to be fewer injured kids coming to the emergency rooms and fewer deaths from asthma-related problems because we’re going to reach out and teach people how to manage their asthma better.

“It’s also going to make a difference in kids’ lives as it relates to preventable injuries that we can really make a difference on,” he continued.

The philosophy behind the PLAYERS Center for Child Health is to reach outside of the hospital walls in hopes of keeping fewer children from ending up, well, inside a hospital. One of the top items on the educational agenda is procuring healthcare for children.

“I truly believe we are going to have many more kids covered under insurance because we are poised to reach out into the community,” added Aubin. “All of these things are going to be made possible by THE PLAYERS Championship and their gift to us here at Wolfson Children’s Hospital.”

There are several hot buttons THE PLAYERS Center for Child Health will place its focus: community education, prevention and access to care and wellness. Many facets of these programs will take place in homes and schools.

“We are so excited to establish THE PLAYERS Center for Child Health, so that Wolfson Children’s Hospital can offer not only diagnostic, therapeutic and acute healthcare but actually reach beyond our walls and into the region to enhance the quality of the lives and well-being of children and their families,” Aubin said.

With a number of children’s health, insurance and prevention programs already in place, THE PLAYERS Center for Child Health will serve as the umbrella under which all these already-established programs will be enhanced.

“This is the kind of thing that makes all the weekends and late nights worthwhile,” said PLAYERS Championship Executive Director Matt Rapp. “When you have a chance to impact a family, or one child at a time, and really change lives, it’s pretty special. Having a children’s hospital in town that serves seven to 10 surrounding counties really fits ideally with our mission.”

“We are so grateful for THE PLAYERS for its generous support of this Center,” said Aubin. “This gift will only further enhance its impact on North Florida and South Georgia families for decades to come.”