During preparation for the 2007 Jacksonville Open, a committee member suggested RCDGA and the Jacksonville Open partner with a local charity. This charity was The Clara White Mission. Through a 50/50 fundraiser, RCDGA presented their charity a check for $104.
In 2008, RCDGA continued their partnership with The Clara White Mission, but this year they set much higher goals. They vowed to increase their donation by ten fold. With expectations set very high, again RCDGA leveraged the partnership with their charity during sponsorship solicitation. Utilizing the PDGA's Endowment program and a Krispy Kreme Donut fundraiser $1200 was raised and presented to The Clara White Mission.
After two successful years of fundraising, RCDGA decided to start early for the 2009 tournament. Economic downturn had committee members wondering if the 2009 Jacksonville Open could even meet the previous year’s success. Due to several changes in the Endowment Program, RCDGA opted not to participate, but that did not hamper the drive to give again to The Clara White Mission. When a member presented a Dominos Pizza card fundraising idea, there was no decision. With the support of a local Dominos Pizza franchise, committee members started selling Domino’s pizza buy one-get one free fundraiser cards. Surprisingly, these cards sold very quickly and the numbers soon surpassed the $1200 raised in 2008. RCDGA increased their charity donation by 25% and made plans to present The Clara White Mission a check for $1500 in 2009. |
