The charities of the 27th Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper received yet another positive boost.
The tournament’s third annual Harvest Moon Festival presented by Reinhart Foodservice, a culinary event and auction, generated almost $100,000 on Sunday night at the Ramada Plaza Hotel and Oasis Convention Center.
Proceeds will go toward the overall gifting from the PCCC, whose Celebration of Sharing presented by the McQueary Family is scheduled November 29 at Highland Springs Country Club. The PCCC, a PGA Web.com Tour event, benefits 45 Ozarks children’s charities.
Auction items included golf packages to The Master’s and TPC Sawgrass as well as a getaway to Casa Suenos, a resort in Mexico with a full-service kitchen staff and five ocean-facing suites. A number of internationally trained chefs cooked culinary delights on a night when wonderful music in the style of the 1940s big band sound flowed from the Wings of Swing. Additionally, local artist Cindy Scott painted a “live” portrait of the evening, with her rendering selected in the live auction.
“We cannot thank all of our sponsors and their guests enough for the outpouring of support,” Tournament Executive Director Jerald Andrews said. “We also appreciate all those who gave their time to this great cause. Funds raised certainly will help our charities in their missions.”
Representatives of three charities – Burrell Children’s Youth Services, Ambassadors for Children and the H.O.P.E. Foundation – expressed appreciation.
“We treat those who have been sexually abused. We treat those who have been passed around by addicted parents for sexual favors so they can get their next fix. We treat children who were raised in dog kennels,” said Denise Mills, Director of Corporate Services for Burrell Children’s Youth Services. “We thank you so much for your support. Without you, we can’t do it.”
Denee Fay of Ambassadors for Children, an organization which buys new clothes for foster children, told the crowd of a recent foster mother who has welcomed six children – all under age 7 – and a baby.
“She was able to get brand-new clothes for all those kids in her home – winter coats, too – everything to really set those kids up for success,” Fey said. “Those stories are made possible through this tournament and through people who donate to Ambassadors for Children. Truly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for your support and what you are doing through the Price Cutter Charity Championship.”
Mary Beth Hankins echoed those comments. She is the Family Services Officer of the H.O.P.E. Foundation, which helps cover monthly home bills for families whose infants and children suddenly require hospital emergencies.
“We wouldn’t be where we are today if it wasn’t for the Price Cutter Charity Championship and all of its supporters,” Hankins said. “We have seen such tremendous growth since we joined the tournament four years ago. We’ve gone from helping one family a month to almost 10 a month. Which is huge.
“We’re able to pay for things like mortgages when families are battling cancer in Memphis. They are there for months on end. … And, unfortunately, sometimes they lose that battle, and we’re able to come in and pay for the funeral costs to bury their child.”
The PCCC has one additional event coming up on Friday, the Burrell Children’s Services Poker Run Golf Classic. It begins at 9 a.m. at Silo Ridge Golf & Country Club in Bolivar, and team openings are available by calling 417-887-3400.