Slocum donates $40,000 to Tickets Fore Charity

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Heath Slocum, winner of The Barclays last month and No. 5 in the FedExCup standings heading into the Playoffs finale, announced a $40,000 donation to THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola's TICKETS Fore CHARITY program Wednesday.

Slocum lives in nearby Alpharetta, Ga., and THE TOUR Championship this week is a homecoming of sorts for a player who went from No. 124 to No. 5 in the FedExCup standings in a matter of weeks and has a great shot of becoming the 2009 FedExCup Champion.

Slocum's donation is earmarked for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and the Chron's and Colitis Foundation, who will each receive $10,000 and THE TOUR Championship TICKETS Fore CHARITY tickets. The East Lake Foundation receives $20,000.

"I am excited to be playing here at home in Atlanta in THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola" Slocum said. "My wife, Victoria, and daughter Stella are very happy to be in the position to donate back to some causes that are near to our heart and community. I have suffered from Ulcerative Colitis since the late 1990s and since moving here have been working with the Georgia Chapter of the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation to help educate and find a cure for this debilitating disease. We also know how involved Children's Healthcare of Atlanta has been in our community and the game of golf, and since our daughter was born it has become very important to take care of other children and families in need. It is also with great pride that we are able to give back to the community in which this great course is located and help those less fortunate with a donation to the East Lake Foundation. We are so lucky, and we hope that our gifts make a difference and we are able to do this for many years to come."

"Heath's generous donation is a prime example of the PGA TOUR's charitable mission at work," PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem said. "Here we have a player who found incredible success this year on TOUR and is using that success as a platform to positively impact the community in which he lives, which also happens to be a community in which we play. On behalf of the PGA TOUR, I want to commend and thank Heath and his wife, Victoria, for their kindness and generosity."

All net proceeds from tickets purchased through the TICKETS Fore CHARITY program directly benefit participating charities, with 50 percent of net proceeds benefiting the charity selling the tickets and the remainder earmarked for the East Lake Foundation, one of THE TOUR Championship's primary charities.

Ten community partners signed on to sell tickets through the TICKETS Fore CHARITY program: Atlanta Braves Foundation; Camp Twin Lakes; Children's Healthcare of Atlanta; Special Olympics of Georgia; Crohn's and Colitis Foundation, Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation; Hands on Atlanta; Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation; Rotary Club of Columbus Fund; and TAG Education Collaborative.Since 1998, THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola has donated more than $9 million to a variety of local and national charities -- including $1.4 million in 2008 alone. Primary beneficiaries are the East Lake Foundation and The First Tee. Founded in 1995 on the belief that everyone deserves a chance to succeed, the East Lake Foundation (www.eastlakefoundation.org) collaborates with public and private organizations to offer Atlanta's East Lake residents opportunities to build a better future through education for children and adults, affordable housing, job readiness and connections with the broader community. Other cities seeking to transform their neighborhoods are turning to the Foundation for best practices.

Fans who have waited until the last minute to purchase tickets still have a chance to see the best of the PGA TOUR, and at a great value. The most convenient and cost-effective option for Atlanta-area fans to purchase THE TOUR Championship tickets is at any of the 134 metro-Atlanta Kroger grocery stores. One-hundred percent of the proceeds from tickets sold at Kroger benefit the East Lake Foundation. Youth age 16 and under receive complimentary Grounds admission all week, compliments of Southern Company, when accompanied by a credentialed adult, one child per ticketed adult. Youth ages 6 and under will also have access to the Clubhouse, MasterCard Championship Club and hospitality areas when accompanied with an appropriately credentialed adult.