Sentry Tournament of Champions announces $312,430 raised for charity at ’18 event
KAPALUA – More than a dozen Maui nonprofit organizations benefitted from the 2018 Sentry Tournament of Champions. Checks totaling over $310,000 were presented to the charities on June 12 at Lahainaluna High School’s Sue D. Cooley Stadium.
Pete McPartland, Sentry Insurance chairman of the board, president and CEO, joined by Sentry Tournament of Champions officials and nonprofit representatives, announced that $312,430 was distributed to the community organizations.
“At Sentry, we take seriously our role as a corporate citizen,” said McPartland. “As a company, we’ve long supported and invested in organizations that serve communities where our offices are located. We’re proud to now be part of the Maui community and support organizations that serve Maui residents.”
With this year’s donations, the tournament has generated more than $6.3 million for community charities since it moved to Maui in 1999.
“We want to thank our sponsors, volunteers and all of our fans for their support, who allow us to give back to this amazing community,” said Nancy Cross, executive director of the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
“The island of Maui continues to embrace this event with open arms, and we take pride in our ability to support these local organizations that help this area in so many impactful ways, from education to care of the elderly.”
The designated beneficiaries of the 2018 event are Boy Scouts of America, Friends of the Children’s Justice Center, Hale Makua Health Services, J. Walter Cameron Center, Ka Lima O Maui and the Lahainaluna High School Foundation.
As part of their relationship with the tournament, these designated beneficiaries assisted in promoting the event, offsetting costs, providing volunteers and much more.
In support of introducing the game of golf to Hawaii’s youth, donations were also made to Hawaii State Junior Golf Association, Maui Junior Golf, Lahaina Junior Golf and Spare for Change, which offered custom-fitted clubs to kids free of charge at this year’s tournament.
Several other local non-profits also benefitted from the tournament through its Golf for Maui Charities program, which gave 501(c)(3) organizations the opportunity to promote the sale of tickets to this year’s tournament and receive 100 percent of the net proceeds.
As a thank you to Mark Rolfing and Chris Berman for their assistance in promoting the Sentry Tournament of Champions, donations were also made to the Mark & Debi Rolfing Foundation and Literacy Volunteers of Greater Waterbury, Connecticut, a favorite charity of Berman’s late wife.
In addition, the Sentry Tournament of Champions selected the following charities to receive donations courtesy of the FedEx Cares program: Lahaina Complex After School Tutoring Project, Women Helping Women, Ka Lima O Maui and Kupu Hawaii.
The 2019 Sentry Tournament of Champions returns to The Plantation Course at Kapalua from Jan. 2-6. All four competitive rounds will be broadcast on Golf Channel. Fans are encouraged to follow the tournament on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get updates and a behind-the-scenes look at the tournament preparations.