Habitat for Humanity, PGA Tour Players & Junior Golf Partner to Help Coast at the "Kelly-Bradley Habitat Pro-Am" on November 5th
Last year’s Kelly-Bradley Habitat Pro-Am happened because PGA Tour Player Jerry Kelly asked Tour Official Mickey Bradley, from Biloxi, how he could help. In just 30 days, Kelly & Bradley organized the event and 19 other PGA Tour players committed their time & their hearts to help. The $76,000 that was raised, combined with a generous materials donation from 84 Lumber, allowed Habitat for Humanity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast to build three (3) homes in less than a year. The homes were recently completed and the families began to move into their new homes as a result. Steve Jones’ team won last year, but all participants felt like winners.
While this was intended as a one-time event by Jerry Kelly and Mickey Bradley, both recognized this unique opportunity to make a difference. This year’s event is scheduled the day after the last PGA Tour event in Tampa – November 5th at Shell Landing. "I played the PGA Tour’s Ben Hogan Tour (Nationwide Tour) events on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and I wanted to help," says Jerry Kelly, "I know of no other charity event where my friends and I can make a bigger impact than by building three homes each year to help the recovery," says Kelly. "I am thankful for all the support we have received from players, participants and sponsors and I hope to see everyone come out to this year’s event," says Mickey Bradley, tournament founder and host. Jerry Kelly, John Daly, Joe Durant, Bob Tway, Heath Slocum, Brian Bateman, Jerry Smith, Anthony Kim, Neal Lancaster, Woody Austin, Harrison Frazar and more are committed to play in this year’s event and help rebuild the coast.
"The generosity of Jerry Kelly and 84 Lumber, as well as the determination of Mickey Bradley to help his community, insured success," says Kent Adcock, Director of Business Development and Community Relations for Habitat for Humanity of the MS Gulf Coast. "We intend to raise enough this year to build three more homes and hope to continue this event until we reach 15. But we not only build homes – we want to build communities. For that reason we are donating a portion of the proceeds to the Gulf Coast Junior Golf Foundation so they can help us build strong communities by giving kids access to golf and its inherent life lessons," says Adcock.
"We are thankful for Habitat for Humanity’s support," says Kevin Drum, Executive Director of the Gulf Coast Golf Foundation. "We had 70 kids in this year’s program and, with this generous support, we hope to double the participation and kid’s exposure to the attributes of the game this charitable event represents," says Drum.
Sponsorships start at as little as $250 and there are still Pro-Am spots available where participants play with a PGA Tour Player, a once in a lifetime experience, for an entry fee of $1,275 per person – just a quarter of the normal cost to play with a pro in PGA Tour events. Call 228-374-GOLF ext. 3 or go to www.habitatproam.com for info. Or to sign up online go to www.gulfcoastgolf.org/proam today or download an entry form. The public is welcome with a small donation and there is a silent auction of special PGA Tour Players gear, signed memorabilia & clubs used by players. We are also accepting donations to the Silent Auction. So come help rebuild the coast by being a sponsor, player, spectator or a bidder at this year’s event.
Contact:
Habitat for Humanity: Kent Adcock, KAdcock@hfhmgc.org 228-314-0011, ext. 322
Gulf Coast Golf Foundation: Kevin Drum, info@GulfCoastGolf.org, 228-374-4653, ext. 3
Tournament Founder & Host: Mickey Bradley, Bradleymky@aol.com