By Marlane White
If there were ever a story about how tourism works for the Grand Strand, here's one that hits home.
Officials with the PGA TOUR's Myrtle Beach Classic just announced that nine local social service charities will receive a grant from revenue generated by the inaugural tournament, scheduled May 6-12 at the Dunes Golf and Beach Club.
"We are extremely grateful,” said Barb Mains, who founded the Help 4 Kids charity in 1989 and has been leading the organization for 35 years. “Oh Lord, that money will go a long way. It will help us feed the kids for two months. Our kids won’t have to go home from school for the weekends without food.”
A fully volunteer organization where 100 percent of every donation goes to the charity, Help 4 Kids currently delivers food to 40 Horry County schools and feeds more than 3,000 children each week. Teachers discreetly place food sacks into the students’ backpacks on Friday afternoon so they have something to eat on the weekend. In addition, Help 4 Kids provides school supplies, blankets, clothing and coats.
Mains' Help 4 Kids is just one of nine organizations that will receive a total of $225,000 that will be allocated by the PGA TOUR for 2024 alone. The tournament will run through 2027.
The Local Grand Strand Charities Are:
- Blue Star Mothers of Coastal Carolina,
- Boys and Girls Clubs of the Grand Strand,
- Champion Autism Network,
- Children’s Recovery Center,
- Classy Smiles,
- Help 4 Kids
- Helping Hand of Myrtle Beach,
- Project Golf, and
- SOS Care.
So the event will not only showcase the Grand Strand to golf fans across the world, but also benefit our local area.
Darren Nelson, tournament director, told the media that: “The charities selected are all doing impactful and meaningful work, and we are proud to provide assistance to further promote these programs that are making such a huge difference on the Grand Strand.”
All of the benefitting charities have 501c3 status, meaning they are non-profit, tax-exempt groups with a dedicated mission.
“This is a game-changer for us,” said Becky Large, executive director of Champion Autism Network, a program that helps to create judgment-free experiences for people living with autism. “We support more than 900 families in Horry and Georgetown counties who have someone on the autism spectrum. We can use these funds to create awareness and serve even more people.”
PGA TOUR'S Impact:
According to Darren, “The PGA TOUR has a time-honored tradition of supporting charities and giving back to each community where events are hosted.”
For more information, visit PGATOUR.com/impact.
Tournaments under the PGA TOUR umbrella donate their net proceeds each year to support local philanthropic organizations, totaling close to $4 billion to date, which is more than all other major sports leagues combined.
The #MBClassic Tournament:
The Myrtle Beach Classic is a dual-field PGA TOUR event sponsored by Visit Myrtle Beach and managed by Sportfive, a global event management company. The local event will be one of two stops in the Palmetto State for the PGA TOUR in 2024, joining with the RBC Heritage in April at Harbour Town Golf Links.
A Robert Trent Jones-designed course, the Dunes Club was incorporated in 1948. It was host to the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship on PGA TOUR Champions from 1994 to 1999, with notables Raymond Floyd, Jim Colbert, Jay Sigel, Gil Morgan, Hale Irwin and Gary McCord claiming titles. Twenty-one years earlier, the Dunes Club was the site of PGA TOUR Q-School Finals in 1973, with Ben Crenshaw taking medalist honors.
For tickets and more information, visit MyrtleBeachClassic.com.
