KEMPERSPORTS, ILLINOIS PGA FOUNDATION AND FOOTJOY TEAM UP TO SUPPORT AMITA HEALTH WORKERS WITH RAIN SUITS FOR RESPONDERS PROGRAM
Campaign Launches with 100 New FootJoy Rain Suits Donated by The Wadsworth Golf Charities Foundation to Serve as Personal Protection Equipment for Healthcare Workers in Illinois
NORTHBROOK, Illinois – April 16, 2020 – KemperSports, the Illinois PGA Foundation and FootJoy have teamed up to form Rain Suits for Responders, a program to collect new or gently used men’s and women’s golf rain suits and deliver them directly to healthcare workers on the frontlines of the coronavirus battle. AMITA Health officials, representing the largest health system in Illinois, have identified waterproof golf rain suits as apparel that can serve as reusable Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) by healthcare workers.
The donation process is easy. A website – amitahealth.org/rainsuitsforresponders – has been established for donors to register their rain suit shipment and receive a free FedEx shipping label via email from AMITA Health within two business days. Once the rain suit is packaged, donors can schedule a FedEx pick up at their home or drop off their donation package at a local FedEx facility. The Illinois PGA Foundation is committed to financially supporting the program by absorbing a portion of the shipping costs.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting all of us. When an AMITA Health executive called and told me that rain gear could be used as an acceptable form of PPE for its medical professionals, I immediately knew that we could rally our KemperSports team and the whole golf industry around a program to contribute to the fight against the virus and support those risking their lives to save others,” said Steve Skinner, CEO of KemperSports, a leading golf course management company based in Northbrook. “Through our relationships in golf, we were able to bring together the Illinois PGA Foundation, FootJoy and the Wadsworth Golf Charities Foundation to establish the Rain Suits for Responders program, which will allow our KemperSports staff, golf professionals and avid golfers to get involved and provide immediate assistance to healthcare workers.”
If preferred, donors can make a charitable donation directly to the Rain Suits for Responders Fund. For every $100 that is donated, KemperSports and FootJoy will provide a brand-new rain suit to AMITA Health. Details for making a charitable donation can also be found at amitahealth.org/rainsuitsforresponders.
“The Illinois PGA Foundation is pleased to team up with KemperSports, FootJoy and AMITA Health to support the Rain Suits for Responders program. We’re proud to financially support the program as well as promote it to our more than 800 Illinois PGA Professionals who manage 300 golf facilities throughout the Chicagoland area as well as Northern and Central Illinois,” said Carrie Williams, Executive Director of the Illinois PGA Section and Illinois PGA Foundation.
“We are proud to partner with the Illinois PGA Foundation and KemperSports to help protect those on the frontlines combatting the COVID-19 crisis. We are humbled daily by the commitment, resolve and courage demonstrated by our nation’s healthcare workers, and are happy to contribute to the Rain Suits for Responders program,” said Ken LaRose, SVP of Brand & Consumer Experience at FootJoy.
“We have been humbled by the outpouring of local business and community support extended across all the AMITA Health hospitals and sites of care. We are extremely appreciative of these innovative and timely donations for our frontline healthcare associates,” said Thor Thordarson, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for AMITA Health.
This campaign, which launches today, begins with a $10,000 donation from the Wadsworth Golf Charities Foundation, a longtime partner of KemperSports, to provide 100 new FootJoy rain suits to the cause. This foundation, created in honor of Illinois Golf Hall of Fame Inductee Brent Wadsworth, is committed to improving communities through the game of golf.
“The Wadsworth Golf Charities Foundation has been looking for a way to utilize golf to make a positive impact on this pandemic and we have found a great partner in KemperSports, the Illinois PGA Foundation and Footjoy,” said Doug Myslinski, Director of the Wadsworth Golf Charities Foundation. “The front-line healthcare individuals who are risking their own health to save others are the true heroes in this situation and the idea of assisting them with protective golf rain suits is certainly noble. Our hope is that this initial contribution will spur others in the golf industry to help our AMITA healthcare heroes during this uniquely challenging time.”
PPE is used every day by healthcare personnel to help protect themselves, patients and others when providing care. PPE shortages are currently posing a tremendous challenge to the U.S. healthcare system because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare facilities are having difficulty accessing the needed PPE and are having to identify alternate ways to provide patient care.
ABOUT
KemperSports
Northbrook, Ill.-based KemperSports builds, owns, leases and manages golf courses, resorts, athletic clubs and lodging venues across the U.S. and Caribbean. The company manages an award-winning portfolio including nationally-ranked courses, private clubs, municipal courses and tournament venues such as Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, named the No. 1 Golf Resort in North America by Golf Digest and GOLF magazine; Streamsong Resort; The Glen Club; Desert Willow Golf Resort; Chambers Bay, host of the 2015 U.S. Open. For more information about KemperSports, please visit https://www.kempersports.com/. Join the KemperSports social media conversation at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.Illinois PGA/Illinois PGA Foundation
The Illinois Section of the PGA of America is a professional organization serving the men and women golf professionals in northern and central Illinois who are the recognized experts in growing, teaching and managing the game of golf. The Illinois PGA is responsible for the administration of competitive golf tournaments, educational opportunities, support programs and growth of the game initiatives. With more than 800 members and apprentices, the Illinois PGA is one of the 41 regional Sections that comprise the PGA of America. The Illinois PGA Foundation focuses its community efforts on promoting the goodwill and growth of the game with an emphasis on activities that benefit youth as well as community support programs. Foundation initiatives include: GolfWorks Illinois, Youth-based Scholarship Funds, Birdies for Charity, and the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame. For more information about the Illinois PGA and the Illinois PGA Foundation, please visit www.ipga.com and join us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. FootJoy
FootJoy is a global leader in golf wearables, including golf shoes, apparel, gloves and accessories. The #1 shoe brand on the PGA Tour for an unprecedented 75 years, FootJoy is committed to achieving an unrivaled balance between craftsmanship and technology, style and comfort, fit and function.
AMITA Health
AMITA Health (www.AMITAhealth.org) is a joint operating company formed by AdventHealth in Altamonte Springs, Fla., and St. Louis-based Ascension. AMITA Health is the largest health system in Illinois, comprising 19 hospitals and more than 230 sites of care. The health system has 900 providers in its medical groups, more than 26,000 associates and 7,000 physician partners and serves over 6.6 million residents in the greater Chicagoland area.
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MEDIA CONTACTS
Megan Godfrey, KemperSports
mgodfrey@kempersports.com | 708-214-4287
Kevin Quinn, Illinois PGA Foundation
kbquinn@pgahq.com | 708-336-1294
