HOUSTON (Jan. 9, 2006) – Louisiana natives Kelly Gibson, Hal Sutton and David Toms, who rolled their sleeves up and raised a combined $2-plus million to aid of thousands of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita victims and disaster workers, have been honored with the Golf Writers Association of America’s Charlie Bartlett Award.
The award, named for the first secretary of the GWAA, is given to a professional golfer for his/her unselfish contributions to the betterment of society.
Through his Feed The Relief Inc., organization (www.feedtherelief.org) , Gibson has fed more than 50,000 first-responders, including New Orleans doctors and nurses, firefighters and policemen, the 82nd Airborne Division, the Coast Guard and the Joint Operations staffs. Gibson, who lives in New Orleans, had the effort up and running within the first week after the disaster and has raised more than $400,000 to fund the catering.
When relief officials asked how he was able to mobilize his effort so quickly, Gibson said, "I just didn’t take no for an answer.”
Toms, who lives in Shreveport, raised more than $1.5 million, including a $500,000 donation to The David Toms Foundation (www.davidtomsfoundation.com) from Bighorn Golf Club, to aid victims. The monies have relocated more than 600 families into furnished apartments and houses around town and bought everything from cars to school supplies to gift cards to Wal-Mart and Old Navy to help them start over.
The foundation also donated $50,000 to Gibson’s Feed The Relief and, after a call from Gibson, Toms had then-sponsor Tommy Hilfiger send more than 400 windbreakers to the St. Bernard Parish Sheriffs Department.
Sutton, another Shreveport resident, gave $65,000 through the Hal Sutton Foundation (www.halsuttonfoundation.com) to local schools to purchase textbooks and other school supplies for those who were displaced by the hurricanes. The Foundation also collected thousands of items of clothing for evacuees through its Operation A+ program that were given to kids in our school systems in Caddo and Bossier Parish. Through The Care Caddy, a mobile pediatric unit, the foundation visited shelters and provided medical help as well as diapers and formula to displaced families.
Former Bartlett winners include Val Skinner, Betsy King, Tom Watson, Payne Stewart, Tom Lehman, Arnold Palmer, Kenny Perry, Brad Faxon, Billy Andrade, Patty Berg and Andy North.
In addition to the Louisiana trio, the GWAA will also honor its Players of Year – Tiger Woods, Annika Sorenstam and Dana Quigley – Ben Hogan Award winner Bart Bryant, Jim Murray/ASAP Award winner Jack Nicklaus and William D. Richardson Award winner Sandy Tatum at the dinner.
The 950-member professional organization takes an active role in protecting the interests of all golf journalists, works closely with all of golf’s major governing bodies and the World Golf Hall of Fame and facilitates a scholarship/internship program which is currently helping students at 17 major U.S. universities.
Contact:
Melanie Hauser
Golf Writers Association of America
713/782-6664
