Mar 25, 2020
Honda Classic Cares Donates $30,000 to Palm Beach County Schools to Purchase Computers for Kids and Initiates Community Outreach to Help Meet District Needs
PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL – Honda Classic Cares, the charitable arm of The Honda Classic, has donated $30,000 to Palm Beach County schools for 100 new laptop computers and has initiated an effort to entice others to help the district obtain more new laptops to send home to kids while schools are shuttered due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The school district currently has 100,000 laptops to send home to students who won’t return to classrooms until at least mid-April. It needs more.
“We felt it was critical to act immediately based off the plea the school district has made to our local community,” said Michele Jacobs, Grants Chairperson for Children’s Healthcare Charity, the host organization of the Honda Classic and Honda Classic Cares. “So we are making this donation from a discretionary account which will be separate from our distribution into the community later this year.
“We will also be reaching out to our Ambassadors and other tournament partners in hope of growing this contribution level.”
Anybody interested in making a donation toward the computer fund can do so through Honda Classic Cares at hondaclassiccares.org.
Palm Beach County Schools Superintendent Donald Fennoy said he is grateful for the community support from Honda Classic Cares and others.
“Speaking on behalf of the entire School District of Palm Beach County, I am profoundly grateful and humbled by the generosity of our community and business partners in this unprecedented time of need,” Fennoy said. “As our District transforms to digital learning, we are grateful to the businesses that are supplying free laptops to supplement the District’s supply and other essentials such as free Wi-Fi, hot spots, television access and supplemental meals for families. It takes the support of an entire community and Palm Beach County businesses are demonstrating unwavering support.”
Honda Classic Cares awarded a record-shattering $5.1 million to 157 South Florida philanthropic organizations during 2019, the 13th consecutive year that the PGA TOUR event was able to increase its impact on the lives of local children and their families. More than 75,000 children and their families benefitted from the Honda Classic Cares initiative.
A new charity distribution for 2020 will take place later this year.
“We enjoyed another successful Honda Classic earlier this month which will allow us to again make a significant impact on the local community,” Honda Classic Executive Director Kenneth R. Kennerly said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone doing their best to weather this unprecedented time in our world’s history.”
The Honda Classic has awarded more than $44 million to South Florida children’s charities since its inception 39 years ago, including almost $30 million in the 14 years since Children’s Healthcare Charity, Inc. became the host organization and moved the event to PGA National Resort and Spa.
The Honda Classic’s charitable donations are a testament to American Honda’s 39 years as the longest-standing title sponsor on the PGA TOUR as well as partnerships with PGA National Resort & Spa, PGA of America, Palm Beach County, the City of Palm Beach Gardens and the PGA TOUR along with the support from Founders Club sponsors Tire Kingdom and United Technologies, and more than 200 other community-minded local sponsors.
The 2020 Honda Classic, won in thrilling fashion by South Korean Sungjae Im, achieved the second-highest attendance mark in tournament history. The PGA TOUR event attracted 206,384 confirmed spectators over seven days of perfect weather and great competition spanning from the Monday Pro-Am to Sunday’s final round.
The 2021 Honda Classic will move to a new date three weeks later in the PGA TOUR schedule. It will be played March 15-21, 2021 at PGA National Resort & Spa.