Fifty Million Donated to Tampa Bay Charities

From With the proceeds Copperhead Charities Since 1977

With the proceeds from the 2023 Valspar Championship, tournament organizer Copperhead Charities has now generated more than $50 million through PGA TOUR-sponsored golf events in the Tampa Bay area since 1977.

“This is a big moment, a long time in the making,” says Rondé Barber, Co-General Chair of Copperhead Charities. “Thousands of individuals have made contributions, big and small, over the years so that we can reach this milestone.”

The 2023 Valspar Championship, held in March on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort, generated nearly $1.2 million of that total with Copperhead Charities making contributions to more than sixty area charities. In addition to the direct funds, a food drive conducted during tournament week in cooperation with AmeriLife that benefited Feeding Tampa Bay produced more than 5,000 pounds of food items.

“We are excited about our partnership with AmeriLife,” says Co-General Chair John Astrab. “We think this will only grow in the years to come.”

The total includes money raised through ticket sales and other tournament proceeds. Tampa General Hospital, Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties, Special Operations Warrior Foundation and area chapters of The First Tee are among the key benefiting charities.

The first professional event for the Copperheads was a mixed-team event in 1977. The initial PGA TOUR tournament was in the fall of 2000. The tournament moved to the spring in 2007, and there have now been a total of 22 PGA TOUR tournaments. With the win in 2023 by Taylor Moore, eighteen different golfers from eight different countries have won PGA TOUR events sponsored by Copperhead Charities.

“We are proud of our contributions to the Tampa Bay community in six decades,” says Tournament Director Tracy West. “Our top individual player money winner Sam Burns has won $3.1 million on the Copperhead in his career, but that is a small amount compared to our charitable impact. The $50 million contributed to charity is $10 million more than the combined total of the prize money won by the top twenty-five pro golfers in tournament history, so it’s true to say that charity is the big winner from PGA TOUR golf in Tampa Bay.”

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