Final Honda Classic raises record $7.2 million for South Florida charities

PALM BEACH GARDENS — The final Honda Cares Classic week kicks off today with a record $7.2 million being distributed to more than 100 South Florida philanthropic organizations, exceeding the previous record of $6.45 million set in 2022.The charitable contributions capped a 42-year run of title sponsorship and giving for American Honda. The increase allows The Honda Classic to surpass $68.9 million in charitable contributions during American Honda’s time as title sponsor, including more than $53 million in the 17 years since Children's Healthcare Charity, Inc. became the host organization and moved the event to PGA National Resort.The tournament, currently searching for a new title sponsor, set records 16 of the past 17 years, with the exception being the coronavirus pandemic in 2021. The 2023 charity distribution includes 53 individual grants and will impact the lives of more than 100,000 children in the local community.

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“It is appropriate that as we say goodbye to American Honda after an incredible 42 years of our philanthropic partnership that we celebrate another record impact on the children of our community,” Honda Classic Executive Director Andrew George said. “The unwavering support of all our tournament sponsors and fans allow us to remain one of the elite events in professional golf and we intend to continue reaching higher for the benefit of all of our charity partners.”The Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation (NCHCF) will once again receive a grant of $2 million. More than $14 million has been donated to the NCHCF since its inception, much of it in support of pediatric services at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital and its 24,000-square-foot Palm Beach Gardens Outpatient Center. Nicklaus Children’s Hospital will also purchase two new ambulances that will serve the tri-county South Florida area and be branded to the tournament once a new title sponsor is named. And funds from the tournament will support the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, Heart Institute and its affiliation with South Florida Project ADAM, a non-profit dedicated to the prevention of sudden cardiac arrest, the leading cause of death among the young. Together, they will expand their efforts over the next two years to provide lifesaving training and education to all Palm Beach County and Broward public schools.“Jack and I are incredibly grateful to American Honda for all that it has done over the past 17 years to support our efforts to advance pediatric health care through the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation,” Barbara Nicklaus said. “Having our Foundation serve as the primary beneficiary has allowed us to work in tandem with Nicklaus Children’s Hospital and Jupiter Medical Center to touch the lives of so many children and families. We are blessed that the tournament is helping us make such a positive impact in our community.”The tournament’s annual Celebration of Philanthropy will be held Thursday at PGA National Resort with a drawing taking place among nine finalists in the Birdies for Children program for a new Honda CRV. Fans donate each year for the chance to guess the number of birdies in the tournament. The nine finalists each correctly guessed the total of 1,419 birdies recorded at the 2023 Honda Classic. The program raised $3.5 million this year.The growth of the tournament’s charitable donations is a testament to ongoing partnerships with PGA National Resort, Palm Beach County, the City of Palm Beach Gardens and the PGA TOUR along with the support from Founders Club sponsor Tire Kingdom, and more than 200 other community-minded local sponsors.“Donating $7.2 million to area charities doesn’t happen without support,” said Joe Russo, President of Children’s Healthcare Charity, the host organization of the tournament. “It is the ultimate mission to make this kind of impact on the community.”

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Final Honda Classic gives record $7.2 million to South Florida charities