The Principal Charity Classic Gives $1 Million to Charity in 2013
The Principal Charity Classic Gives $1 Million to Charity in 2013
Record-breaking year pushes total donations over $5 million since Principal Charity Classic's inception
DES MOINES, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The 2013 Principal Charity Classic will donate a record $1,032,500 to local children's charities. This is the first time donations from the PGA TOUR's Champions Tour tournament, sponsored by the Principal Financial Group® and presented by Wells Fargo, surpassed the million-dollar mark in a single year.
"We're very grateful to our 300 sponsors, the 81 Champions Tour players who participated in this year's tournament, the more than 73,000 fans who attended and the 1,200-plus volunteers who helped make it all possible. Thanks to everyone's support, The Principal Charity Classic will help thousands of children in need—right here in central Iowa," said Larry Zimpleman, chairman, president and CEO, The Principal®.
Wells Fargo, presenting sponsor of The Principal Charity Classic for the past seven years, announced an extension of its sponsorship through 2015. "Wells Fargo is incredibly proud to be a part of The Principal Charity Classic, which does so much good for so many kids. Extending our sponsorship for another two years helps to ensure that this tournament's proud tradition will continue," said Dan Abbott, president of Retail Services, Wells Fargo.
For the third year in a row, The Principal Charity Classic is number one on the Champions Tour in tournament-generated proceeds to charity. Since the inception of The Principal Charity Classic in 2007, the tournament has distributed more than $5 million to children's charities. All donations stay within central Iowa.
This year marked The Principal Charity Classic's first year at Wakonda Club in Des Moines. "The legendary Wakonda Club course was a hit with players and fans alike," said Mary O'Keefe, chair of The Principal Charity Classic and senior vice president, The Principal. "It presented new challenges to the players, gave fans amazing views of the play and helped us showcase the vibrant city of Des Moines to a national audience."
Donations from the 2013 tournament will be distributed to five "FORE Our Kids" charities, as well as 106 Birdies for Charity organizations. The five "FORE Our Kids" charities are:
Blank Children's Hospital
BRAVO Greater Des Moines
The Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines (tournament host organization)
United Way of Central Iowa
Variety—the Children's Charity of Iowa
In addition to benefitting local charities, the PGA TOUR and an Iowa State University study estimate the tournament generates an economic impact of $20.8 million annually for the region, including increased business for area hotels, restaurants, shopping establishments and other entertainment venues. The event also showcases Des Moines to a national television audience.
About The Principal Charity Classic
The Principal Charity Classic is an annual Champions Tour event. The Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines plays host to the event, which is focused on philanthropic giving for designated "FORE Our Kids" charities. The 2014 Principal Charity Classic tournament will be played May 27 - June 1 at Wakonda Club in Des Moines, Iowa. For more information on the charities and the tournament, visit http://www.principalcharityclassic.com, or connect with the tournament on Facebook or Twitter.
About the Principal Financial Group
The Principal Financial Group (The Principal®) is a global investment management leader offering retirement services, insurance solutions and asset management. The Principal offers businesses, individuals and institutional clients a wide range of financial products and services, including retirement, asset management and insurance through its diverse family of financial services companies. Founded in 1879 and a member of the FORTUNE 500®, the Principal Financial Group has $450.6 billion in assets under management and serves some 19.8 million customers worldwide from offices in Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America and the United States. Principal Financial Group, Inc. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PFG. For more information, visit www.principal.com.
About the Champions Tour
Collectively, the Champions Tour has the most recognizable and accomplished players in the game with many of its 32 members of the World Golf Hall of Fame competing regularly in its events and numerous other major championship winners among its members. The Champions Tour is a membership organization of professional golfers age 50 and older. Conceived in 1980 as the Senior PGA Tour, it started with just four events and purses totaling $475,000. Points earned in 26 official Charles Schwab Cup events in 2013 will determine the Charles Schwab Cup champion, the season-long competition designed to recognize the Champions Tour's leading player. The Champions Tour's primary purpose is to provide financial opportunities for its players, entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, protect the integrity of the game and generate significant charitable and economic impact in communities in which it plays. In 2012, tournaments on all five Tours (PGA TOUR, Champions Tour, Web.com Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamerica, PGA TOUR Canada) generated more than $130 million for local charitable organizations, bringing the TOUR's all-time total of charitable contributions to more than $1.85 billion. The Commissioner of the PGA TOUR is Tim Finchem. Mike Stevens is President of the Champions Tour. The PGA TOUR's website is pgatour.com, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. Follow the Champions Tour at facebook.com/championstour and on Twitter @ChampionsTour.
For Principal Financial Group:
Pixley Communications
Linda Pixley, 515-710-6473
linda@pixleycom.com
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