Local children and community members in need, people with autism, veterans, and families of veterans will all benefit from the PGA Tour’s inaugural Myrtle Beach Classic.
The PGA Tour has chosen nine social service charities on the Strand to benefit from tournament being played the week of May 6-12 at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club.
Tournament director Darren Nelson said $225,000 will be allocated to nonprofit organizations in 2024 from revenue generated by the tournament, which is the minimum the PGA Tour donates from an event.
He said that total could go up in successive years. The tour has a contract to stage the event in Myrtle Beach for at least four years.
The charities selected are Help 4 Kids, Blue Star Mothers of Coastal Carolina, Boys and Girls Clubs of the Grand Strand, Children’s Recovery Center, Classy Smiles, Helping Hand of Myrtle Beach, Project Golf, SOS Care, and Champion Autism Network.
“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,” Nelson said in a release.
The charities were announced at a press conference and media day for the event Monday at The Dunes Club.
Nonprofit 501c(3) organization based in Horry and Georgetown counties had until Jan. 19 to submit an application to receive proceeds and tournament organizers selected the beneficiaries.
Donations are a staple of all tournaments under the PGA Tour umbrella, and the tour says it has donated close to $4 billion to date to support local philanthropic organizations, which it boasts is more than all other major sports leagues combined.
The inaugural Myrtle Beach Classic has a purse of $3.9 million and is being held the same week as the tour’s Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, N.C., which will feature the top 70 players on tour and a purse of $20 million.
The amount each charity receives will vary, Nelson said.
Barb Mains, who founded the Help 4 Kids charity in 1989 and has been leading the organization ever since, said she believes her organization will receive $25,000
Help 4 Kids is a fully volunteer organization. Mains said it provides weekend meals to approximately 2,900 needy children at 40 Horry County schools each week.
Teachers distribute food sacks to students on Friday afternoon so they have something to eat on the weekend. In addition, Help 4 Kids provides school supplies, blankets, clothing and coats.
“We feel very, very fortunate to have been chosen,” Mains said. “It’s definitely needed. They eat breakfast and lunch at school every day and get good food, but when they go home on Friday they may not have a lot to eat for the weekends.”
Champion Autism Network helps create judgment-free experiences for people with autism and supports more than 900 Strand families, according to the organization’s executive director Becky Large.
Project Golf’s programs include those that provide instruction and other benefits for juniors and veterans.
Visit Myrtle Beach president and CEO Karen Riordan said the charitable impact on the community was among the primary reasons Visit Myrtle Beach signed on as the title sponsor for the event.
The event has received a large response from the community.
Nelson said Monday the tournament received 4,000 inquiries for 1,500 volunteer positions on the first day of submissions, and volunteer positions under about 40 committees are completely filled.
The demand for private and shared hospitality areas has resulted in the creation of a suite on the 17th hole.
There are still spots available for the Wednesday pro-am on the eve of the opening round.
A pair of concerts will be held Thursday and Saturday evenings on the lawn behind the clubhouse along the beach.
Members of the Golden Knights U.S. Army Parachute Team will land on the beach on Thursday prior to the first concert.
