(Sun City, South Africa) A host of sports figures and businesspeople gathered together at Sun City on Friday night for the Gary Player Invitational presented by Coca-Cola’s Gala Dinner and Auction, raising more than R3.2 million for The Player Foundation’s beneficiaries, Wildlands and Wings & Wishes.
The evening was another memorable experience for the global charity series’ “Union of Golf and Giving” as the funds raised will make a significant contribution to the two main charities of the tournament.
Swing City, the glamorous and dazzling entertainment band, rocked the crowd to get the auction started and brought enthusiasm to the worthy causes supported by The Player Foundation.
The charitable auction is the main fundraiser of the Gary Player Invitational presented by Coca-Cola, and includes funds raised from the live auction at the dinner as well as personal pledges and bidding from a silent auction of several exclusive items.
The top bid of the evening went for R400 000 and will bring the auction winner to Carnoustie Golf Links in Scotland for The Open to experience Gary Player’s 50th anniversary of claiming his second Claret Jug, and also to the Gary Player Invitational in London held at Wentworth Club.
A once-in-a-lifetime experience donated by Wildlands fetched R200 000. The “Wildlife Experience” will give the winner a front row seat to some of the most incredible conservation work being done on South African soil in the heart of Zululand in Zimanga.
Other items included a VIP package to the Nedbank Golf Challenge hosted by Gary Player, an FC Bayern Munich – Ultimate Fan Experience, a 2018 FIFA World Cup Experience, and a historical autographed photograph of The Big Three – Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer.
“The extraordinary support we receive each year from our guests is quite remarkable. The generosity in which so many people contribute to our charity efforts of this tournament and The Player Foundation’s goal of raising $100 million for charity is truly special,” said Marc Player, CEO of Black Knight International.
ABOUT 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.
ABOUT 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 five 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 Abu Dhabi, 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 more than $64 million 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.
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