CROMWELL, Conn. (WTNH) — It was a record year for charity fundraising at the Travelers Championship.
Connecticut’s biggest sports event partnered with more than 200 charities this year. As the tournament itself has grown, so have donations to local groups.
Every June, the best golfers in the world come to Connecticut for the Travelers Championship, but tournament organizers said their favorite day of the year comes a few months later, when they return to TPC River Highlands for a big announcement.
“Yeah, it’s easily the best day of the year for me,” Travelers Championship tournament director Nathan Grube said.
That’s when Travelers announces how much money the tournament raised for charity. It’s a new record this year: $3.2 million.
The Travelers Championship has grown into a PGA signature event with a much bigger payout for players.
“They wanted to make sure the charity grew, as well,” Grube said. “That it wasn’t just, ‘Hey, we’re going to make this a signature event, and not worry about charity.’ If we’re going to make this a signature event on this side for the players and take the purse to $20 million, we need to take charity to grow that every year, as well.”
There are 200 charities who benefit, and they come in a range of sizes. On the smaller size is the Ray of Light Farm in East Haddam. It’s an animal rescue and animal therapy organization. Over the last six years, the tournament has helped the farm raise more than $26,000.
“With our 120 animals that we service, [that] gets us through the winter every single year,” founder Bonnie Buongiome said. “It’s a big plus for us.”
One of the bigger charities is the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. Its initial mission was to give children with rare diseases a summer camp experience.
“The continued gifts from Travelers help us dream about serving caregivers who need respite and need just a moment to regroup and be connected,” the camp’s chief development officer, Robin Farrell, said.
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