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2004 Wachovia Championship Raises Over $1 Million For Charity
Primary beneficiary is Teach For America
CHARLOTTE N.C., October 13, 2004 – The Wachovia Championship’s impact was evident in the Charlotte region and nationwide today as tournament representatives honored Teach For America with a $1 million check. Teach For America is the primary beneficiary of the Wachovia Championship’s 2004 charitable earnings.
“We are thrilled to be able to share a portion of the proceeds from last year’s tournament with this wonderful organization that provides a great service to the community,” said Mac Everett, General Chairman for the Wachovia Championship. “This donation will benefit students not only in Charlotte, but across the nation. “
Teach For America is a national corps of outstanding recent college graduates of all academic majors who commit two years to teach in rural and urban public schools in low-income communities, and become lifelong advocates to expand opportunity for all children.
Today, nearly 3,000 Teach For America corps members are reaching more than a quarter of a million students in 22 urban and rural regions nationwide, while 10,000 alumni are working in education, policy, law, medicine and other sectors to affect the broader changes needed to bring about educational equity in our country.
Last year, proceeds from the Wachovia Championship helped Teach For America expand its presence in North Carolina and launched the program in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.
“We would like to thank the Wachovia Championship for this extremely generous gift,” said Wendy Kopp, founder and president of Teach For America. “This tremendous financial support enables us to recruit even more of our nation’s future leaders to join our movement, and to extend our reach in existing communities and expand into more regions, so that we can provide excellent educational opportunities to more children.”
The Wachovia Championship, a PGA TOUR event with a $5.6 million purse, will make its third appearance in Charlotte at Quail Hollow Club, May 2-8, 2005. The tournament is managed and operated by Champions for Education, Inc., a 501 (c) (3) education fundraising organization whose 2004 charitable donations totaled $1,345,000. In addition to the $1 million donation to Teach For America, Champions for Education, Inc., donated $345,000 to a variety of charitable organizations.
“One of the most rewarding aspects of sponsoring the Wachovia Championship is the positive impact it has on the lives of children across the country,” said Ken Thompson, board member of Champions for Education, Inc., and chairman and CEO of Wachovia Corporation. “By supporting Teach For America's efforts to eliminate educational inequity, we're helping provide a quality education--and a brighter future--for thousands of children.”
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About Teach For America
Teach For America is building the movement to eliminate educational inequity by closing the achievement gap that exists between children growing up in low-income communities in this country and those in more affluent areas. The organization calls upon outstanding recent college graduates of all academic backgrounds to commit two years in low-income rural and urban communities and become lifelong leaders to expand opportunities for children growing up there. Since 1990, more than 12,000 Teach For America corps members have impacted the lives of nearly 1.75 million students across the country. For more information, please visit www.teachforamerica.org.
About Champions for Education, Inc.
Champions for Education, Inc., manages and operates The Wachovia Championship, which serves as the principal fundraiser in support of the organization’s mission to support youth education. Five members comprise the current Champions for Education, Inc., board of directors:
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Mac Everett – Chairman of the Board, Champions for Education, Inc.
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Jay Haas – PGA TOUR Professional
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Johnny Harris – President, Quail Hollow Club
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Harry Jones – Mecklenburg County Manager
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Anna Spangler Nelson – President, C.D. Spangler Construction Co.; Partner, Wakefield Group
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Rick Priory – Member, Board of Directors, Champions for Education, Inc.
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Ken Thompson – President and CEO, Wachovia Corporation
About the Wachovia Championship
The Wachovia Championship is one of the largest, most prestigious sporting events in the Charlotte region. Now in its third year, the tournament is intended as an annual tradition that will bring customers, players and patrons back each year for an unforgettable golf experience. In a short two years, the national and international golf community has already recognized it as one of the top events on the PGA TOUR. The 2005 tournament will be held May 2-8. Sponsored by Wachovia Corporation (NYSE:WB), the tournament’s $5.6 million purse is one of the largest on the PGA TOUR. A combination of Quail Hollow Club, the spirit of the Charlotte area community and the support of Wachovia are several reasons the championship has and should continue to draw many of the world’s top golfers to Charlotte.
For more information, visit the tournament website, www.wachoviachampionship.com.
About Wachovia
Wachovia Corporation (NYSE:WB) is one of the largest providers of financial services to retail, brokerage and corporate customers throughout the East Coast and the nation, with assets of $418.4 billion, market capitalization of $58.3 billion and stockholders’ equity of $32.6 billion at June 30, 2004. Its four core businesses, the General Bank, Capital Management, Wealth Management, and the Corporate and Investment Bank, serve 12 million client relationships (including households and businesses), primarily in 11 East Coast states and Washington, D.C. Its full-service retail brokerage firm, Wachovia Securities, LLC, serves clients in 49 states. Global services are provided through 32 international offices. Online banking and brokerage products and services also are available through Wachovia.com.
Editor’s Note: For the tournament logo or course maps in JPG, EPS or PDF format, contact Nora Carr, Luquire George Andrews, 704-552-6565, ext. 145 or carr@lgapr.com.