Wildlands Conservation Trust in partnership with Qhubeka and Wings and Wishes to benefit from the 2014 Gary Player Invitational event at Sun City.
The Gary Player Invitational presented by Coca-Cola, Africa’s premier charity golf event, looks to continue its wildly successful charitable drive at the Lost City Golf Course and The Palace Hotel at Sun City from 20-23 November. The annual “Union of Golf and Giving” will once again pledge support to Wings and Wishes and the Wildlands Conservation Trust in partnership with Qhubeka as the selected beneficiaries in order to provide aid to underprivileged children and impoverished communities across South Africa.
The event staged at the Gary Player-designed Lost City Golf Course will feature professional golfers, business leaders as well as notable celebrities participating in the annual charity event, alongside one of the sporting world’s most iconic golf champions, Gary Player, who aims to make a difference in the lives of others as host of the event.
Celebrating its 15th year in giving back, the Gary Player Invitational (GPI) series has raised over R600 million for charity in order to support the various causes supported by The Player Foundation.
“We are thrilled to once again pledge our support to Wings and Wishes, as well as the Wildlands Conservation Trust,” said Marc Player, Black Knight International CEO and Gary Player Invitational founder. “In our 15th edition of the GPI in South Africa, we hope to continue our success in aiding underprivileged youth with the generous help of our sponsors like Coca-Cola, SAP, BMW, Rolex, Callaway, UPS, and Sun International.”
The generous proceeds donated to Wings and Wishes, resulted in 507 flight tickets being purchased to assist 253 children with the necessary and much-need transport to hospitals, in order to receive lifesaving treatment.
2014 marks the third year that the GPI series partners with Wings and Wishes – a organisation established in 2006 by staff at the Coca-Cola Sabco bottling company in Port Elizabeth to collect air-miles for the transportation of critically ill children in order to receive lifesaving medical treatment at the appropriate medical facilities.
The GPI is also thrilled to continue its longstanding relationship with The Wildlands Conservation Trust, in partnership with Qhubeka. The charity organisation currently operates in almost 100 communities across the country and aims to empower local communities by establishing “green jobs” for the poor and unemployed, focusing on recycling plastic and encouraging the growing of indigenous trees through community-based Waste-preneurs and Tree-preneurs.
The partnership between the Gary Player Invitational (GPI) and Wildlands is aligned with Gary Player’s philosophy in his business operations to always respect the land and its natural beauty and biodiversity.
“With the support of over R4.2 million from the GPI since 2011, Wildlands have managed to change the lives of approximately 7400 individuals, with the majority of these individuals being women and children,” said Wildlands’ CEO Dr Andrew Venter. “82 375kg of waste has been collected, over 1, 7 million bottles collected, 216 000 trees grown and bartered and 2830 Coca-Cola bicycles distributed across the country. The GPI, Coca-Cola and Qhubeka are helping us build a sustainable future – one tree, one bicycle and one item of waste at a time, words cannot explain the impact this project will have on the planet in years to come.”
For more information on the Gary Player Invitational, visit www.garyplayerinvitational.com and follow @GPInvitational on Twitter.
NOTES FOR EDITORS
BLACK KNIGHT INTERNATIONAL
Established in 1983 by Marc Player, Black Knight International is a global holding company for The Player Group and the constantly expanding family of Gary Player® brands. With a powerful presence in North and South America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, Black Knight is a multicultural and multilingual company offering branded services for the leisure and real estate industries. This rapidly growing firm is diverse and infused with the same tenaciousness and drive as Gary Player, world renowned iconic golfer. The holding company divisions include: Gary Player Design, Player Real Estate, Black Knight Enterprises, Black Knight Solutions, Black Knight Capital, Gary Player Academies, and The Player Foundation.
THE PLAYER FOUNDATION
The Player Foundation was established in 1983 by Marc Player. What began as an effort to provide education, nutrition, medical care and athletic activities, for a small community of disadvantaged children living on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa has now blossomed into an organization that circles the globe bringing aid to underprivileged children and impoverished communities.
The Foundation is funded primarily by four Gary Player Invitational events presented through Black Knight International. Pairing celebrities and professional golfers from the PGA and Champions Tours with businessmen and international sports figures, the annual tournaments are staged in the United States, China, Europe and South Africa. The proceeds of these tournaments and other special events provide funding for an ever- expanding number of institutions around the world, including the Blair Atholl Schools in South Africa, the Pleasant City Elementary School in Palm Beach, the Masizame in Plettenberg Bay, South Africa, and AIDS infected children in Baoshan, a drug-infested city located on the China-Burma border. Since its establishment, The Player Foundation has donated over $50 million dollars to the support of children’s charities, the betterment of impoverished communities and the expansion of educational opportunities throughout the world.
Gary Player, acknowledged as a world-class humanitarian, believes that the strength of our future depends upon the abilities of our children. “I have found that the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others does not thrust itself upon us,” Player says, “But we do not need to look hard for it either. When you spot the chance to give back to the world, act on it. You will have made life better, for others, and for yourself.”
The Gary Player Foundation is a non-profit 501 C (3) organization managed by Black Knight International in Palm Beach, Florida.
THE COCA-COLA COMPANY
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world’s largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, the world’s most valuable brand, the company’s portfolio features 15 billion-dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, Vitamin Water, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and Del Valle. Globally, it is the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks. Through the world’s largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy its beverages at a rate of 1.8 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, the company is focused on initiatives that reduce its environmental footprint and which support active, healthy living; as well as creating a safe, inclusive work environment for its associates; and enhancing the economic development of the communities where it operates. Together with its bottling partners, the company ranks among the world’s top 10 private employers with more than 700 000 system associates. For more information, visit www.thecoca-colacompany.com, follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo or visit our blog at www.coca-colablog.com
About the Beneficiaries:
WINGS AND WISHES
Wings & Wishes was established in 2006 after a group of employees from Coca-Cola Sabco (Pty) Ltd identified the need in their community and started donating their frequent flyer miles as part of an internal Corporate Social Responsibility initiative. The miles were committed to facilitating the transport of critically ill children and an accompanying adult to the Red Cross Children’s Hospital in Cape Town, or an alternative appropriate medical facility, for treatment. The program is now a registered project under The Coca-Cola Sabco Community Foundation (IT 60/2007) and is run primarily by employee volunteers. The program is funded entirely through donations and is supported by many individuals and organizations in South Africa. As word of the program spreads, requests for flights and bus tickets are a daily occurrence and we are now assisting at least one child a day.
WILDLANDS CONSERVATION TRUST IN PARTNERSHIP WITH QHUBEKA
Wildlands has developed a network of ‘Green-preneurs’ across four Provinces in South Africa. These are individuals marginalised from conventional economic activities due to a lack of skills and training or demand for their services. Wildlands enables their participation in the green economy by creating a platform for them to barter indigenous trees (Tree-preneurs) and recyclable waste (Waste-preneurs) for livelihood support goods such as food, building materials, bicycles (Bike-preneurs), solar panels and rain water harvesting tanks. Through this model, community ecosystems are restored and alternative modes of transport and energy introduced into communities. Qhubeka projects aim to help rural communities move forward and progress by giving bicycles to children in return for work done to improve their environment and their community.
Contact:
Grace Vine – Black Knight International
grace@garyplayer.com
+1 864 477 2720
Meagan Fester – Black Knight International
meagan@garyplayer.co.za
+27 21 448 7777
