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Giving back: Players Championship Red Coats fan out to distribute grants for area nonprofits

garry smits, jacksonville florida times-union
·3 min read
The Players Championship Red Coats made another round of donations to three area charities this week, continuing a fall tradition. They presented Catholic Charities a golf cart in 2021 as part of its "I Am Special" Camp.
The Players Championship Red Coats made another round of donations to three area charities this week, continuing a fall tradition. They presented Catholic Charities a golf cart in 2021 as part of its "I Am Special" Camp.

It was a week full of surprises for nonprofit organizations, thanks to The Players Championship.

The Players Champions Red Coats (past volunteer chairs of the tournament) made unexpected visits to three charities, presenting checks from the proceeds of the 2023 Players.

The three charities – the North Florida School for Special Education, the River Garden Hebrew Home for the Aged and Hearts 4 Minds – are three of 60 charities that will receive Red Coat Community Grants this year.

  • The NFSSE serves students with intellectual and developmental differences and provides academic instruction, enrichment activities and vocational training opportunities to help them gain job readiness skills. The Red Coat grant will fund a pilot vocational training program for their younger students.

  • The River Garden Hebrew Home services low-income seniors. The Red Coat grant went to a new golf cart to transport residents and their guests who need assistance.

  • Hearts 4 Minds promotes mental health awareness and coordinates mental health services in Northeast Florida. Its grant will go to funding for two additional murals as part of its Murals with Meaning program.

  • The 2024 Players Championship will be March 14-17 at the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.

Firehouse tournament

raises more than $600K

The fourth annual Firehouse Subs Open on Oct. 10 at the TPC Sawgrass raised more than $606,000 for the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation.

The Public Safety Foundation was created in 2005 by Firehouse Subs founders Chris and Robin Sorensen in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The foundation raises funds to provide lifesaving equipment and resources for first responders and public safety organizations nationwide.

The foundation has raised more than $79 million, which has gone to equipment such as more than 6,000 automated external defibrillators, more than 3,500 sets of bunker gear and more than 1,000 sets of vehicle extraction tools. First responders played in the tournament along with sponsors, donors and Firehouse executives.

College golf: Another honor for Gabrelcik

University of North Florida senior Nick Gabrelcik has earned his 13th career ASUN player of the week award after sharing medalist honors at the Williams Cup, in Chapel Hill, N.C. Oct. 9-10. Gabrelcik has two ASUN player of the week honors this fall and ties Dawson Armstrong of Lipscomb for the most in conference history. He shot 4-under at the Williams Cup and has won or shared eight individual tournament titles at UNF. … Bryson Hughes of St. Johns, a Creekside junior, has verbally committed to play golf at Mississippi State. … Brady Duval, the son of Jacksonville native and 13-time PGA Tour winner David Duval has gotten two starts as a freshman with the Coastal Carolina men’s golf team.

FSGA results

Cameron Reed of Ponte Vedra Beach shot 68 in the first round at Lakewood National’s Commander Course and went to finish third in the boys 16-18 division of the Florida Junior Tour’s Lakewood Ranch tournament at 6-under-par 210, two shots out of a playoff involving winner Palmer Haynes of Orlando and Aiden Arce of Davie. Andrew Morgan of Jacksonville fired the low score of the final round with a 67 and tied for fourth at 5-under and Emmet Kuhlenkamp of Fleming Island was sixth at 4-under. … Sophia Cavanagh of St. Augustine (151) was second in the girls 13-15 division of the FJT Ocala Open, at the Golf Club of Ocala. Alexia Iordanov of St. Augustine was third (158). … Kalia Polete of Fleming Island (148) was in the girls 16-18 division, followed by Sadaly Campbell of Fernandina Beach (151) in a tie for fifth and Cambree Hodge of Fleming Island (155) in seventh. … Jack Newell of Green Cove Springs (151) was fourth in the boys 16-18 division. … John Coultas of Jacksonville shot 3-under 210 at the Bradenton Country Club to finish tied for fourth in the FSGA Mid-Amateur Stroke Play, three behind winner Marc Dull. … Therese Quinn of Jacksonville will be a co-captain for the North team in the sixth Florida Women’s Cup Oct. 23-24 at the Mountain Lake Golf Club in Lake Wales.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Surprise! First Coast nonprofits receive grants from Players Championship