The Barclays, the first event in the PGA’s FedEx Cup, promises to be an exciting event for golf fans – and local non-profit organizations.
Anyone can purchase tickets to the four-day event at Liberty National Golf Course to get close to the action, but this year the PGA has also partnered with local nonprofits throughout Hudson County and northern New Jersey. When fans purchase tickets for the Barclays through their favorite local non-profit organization, the PGA will donate 75 percent of the ticket price back to the nonprofit. “TICKETS fore CHARITY through the PGA is a great way for local nonprofits to raise much-needed funds in support of programs and services,” said Vincent Lombardo, director of development of United Cerebral Palsy Hudson County, which is based in Bayonne. Gary Greenberg, executive director for the Boys and Girls Club of Hudson County, said any funds his organization receives will be put toward after-school programs opening in September. The non-profit groups participating in the program declined to give exact numbers of tickets sold, though several are reporting lagging ticket sales, which they attribute to a rainy summer and the sagging economy. “We haven’t sold as many as we’d like to, but we’re hoping to pick up in the next couple of days,” said Andrea Koenig-Feldman, director of development for WomenRising, a group based in Jersey City that helps women to live self-sufficiently. Janet Russell, director of development for Liberty Humane Society, based in Jersey City, said, “There’s a lot of competition, but as long as the money is going to any of the charities, then way to go!”
Liberty Humane has also been involved with another program to raise funds with The Barclays tournament. The shelter has been recruiting volunteers to work at concession stands during the tournament. At the end of the event, the group gets a cut of the concession sales.