It was an extraordinary end to the annual Gary Player Invitational (GPI) global charity series as celebrities, professional golfers, and acclaimed businessmen gathered at South Africa’s Sun City Resort to close out the series in 2013. Following the finale, The Player Foundation raised nearly $2.5 million for underprivileged children across the globe during its 30th anniversary of giving.
Through the successes of each of the GPI events covering four continents, The Player Foundation continues to add to its total funds that now well exceed $50 million raised to provide hope for a brighter future for disadvantaged youth.
“We continue to work tirelessly to improve education for underprivileged children and provide aid for impoverished communities around the world,” said Marc Player, Black Knight International CEO. “Thanks to the support of our generous sponsors, participants, and celebrities, The Player Foundation has once again experienced a record year.”
The growth and global impact of the philanthropic endeavor was not predicted when Marc Player established the Foundation seeking to improve the lives of needy children in 1983.
Primarily funded through the GPI Series staged by Black Knight International, The Player Foundation was able to provide support for numerous organizations this year that included BerenbergKids, the Chinese Foundation for the Prevention of STDs and AIDS, Wings & Wishes, the Wildlands Conservation Trust in partnership with Qhebeka, as well as many others.
Among those contributing to the golfing icon’s benevolent cause through their participation in the Augusta, London, Shanghai, or Sun City events were golfers Retief Goosen, Tony Johnstone, Cheyenne Woods, Carly Booth, Ian Woosnam, Guan Tianlang, Tano Goya, Brandon Stone, Hennie Zuel, notable celebrities Ronan Keating, Jeffrey Donovan, Kevin Sorbo, Ed “Too Tall” Jones, JJ Lim, Anton Du Beke, Anthony Anderson, Carmine Giovinazzo, Brian McFadden, Herschelle Gibbs, Vogue Williams, as well as Unathi and Thomas Msengana.
“Our GPI events continue to grow year after year and with exciting developments in our 2014 series, we continue to have great hope for the future of The Player Foundation and the impact we are able to make,” commented Marc Player.
Upon the completion of the 30th anniversary milestone, The Player Foundation continues to aspire to creating a brighter future with goals of raising a $100 million endowment to benefit the education of needy children and betterment of impoverished communities.
“I have always felt that contributing to others in need is an essential ingredient in life,” said Gary Player. “I could not be any more pleased with the work we are doing across the world with monies raised at these events. As we move into 2014, I only hope to continue expanding our impact and raising additional funds to benefit those less fortunate.”
Gary Player Group, Inc. www.garyplayer.com