Donation will support 21 PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) Chapters Across the MAPGA Region;
PGA HOPE is the Flagship Military Program for PGA REACH, the 501(c)(3) Charitable Foundation of the PGA of America, that Introduces Golf to Veterans and Active-Duty Military to Enhance their Physical, Mental, Social and Emotional Well-Being
Stafford, Va. — The Middle Atlantic Section of the PGA of America (MAPGA) today announced it has received a $20,000 donation from Richmond-Va.-based Silvercrest Asset Management Group for PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) Veterans golf programming.
PGA HOPE is the flagship military program for PGA REACH, the 501(c)(3) charitable foundation of the PGA of America, that introduces golf to Veterans and active-duty military to enhance their physical, mental, social and emotional well-being. The donation will support 21 PGA HOPE Chapters across the MAPGA Region which serve almost 1,000 Veterans annually.
Today, as the PGA of America continues to promote the game of golf as a therapeutic form of rehabilitation, PGA HOPE provides a six- to eight-week developmental curriculum taught by PGA of America Golf Professionals trained in adaptive golf and military cultural competency. It is the only adaptive golf program that has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Department of Veterans Affairs, which enables medical staff to refer Veterans to PGA HOPE as a form of therapy. All programs are funded by PGA REACH and supplemented by PGA of America Section foundations, with no cost to all Veterans.
“As an already valued partner of the MAPGA, we are deeply grateful that Silvercrest Asset Management Group has extended its support for our valuable Veterans golf programming through this generous $20,000 donation,” said Jon Guhl, Executive Director, Middle Atlantic PGA. “The PGA of America is very proud of the impact PGA HOPE has made, as it’s not just another program to introduce this great game, but a program using golf to change lives, and in some instances, save the lives of our Veterans. Thanks to Silvercrest we can now enhance our support for Veterans throughout the Middle Atlantic Region.”
In addition to the MAPGA’s 21 Chapters, PGA HOPE is currently being offered at more than 350 locations in the U.S., across 46 States and 40 PGA of America Sections. In 2022, the program positively impacted 7,500 Veterans; the 2023 goal is 11,000 Veterans served. More than 2,500 PGA of America Golf Professionals have received specialized training in using adaptive equipment and instructing Veterans.
The donation from Silvercrest Asset Management Group, an investment advisor providing asset management and family office services to high net-worth individuals and select institutional investors, comes on the heels of the Silvercrest Cup, a tournament series created in 2023 to reward the playing excellence of Middle Atlantic PGA Professionals and top amateurs, while also providing significant donations to local foundations, including the Middle Atlantic PGA Section’s 501(c)(3) charitable foundation, PGA REACH Middle Atlantic.
The inaugural Silvercrest Cup was played on October 12th at Hermitage Country Club in Richmond, Va., and served as the culmination of a season-long tournament series that featured four qualifying events throughout the region for Middle Atlantic PGA Professionals. Josh Speight, PGA Director of Instruction at The Club of Vinaterra in New Kent, Va., captured the Silvercrest Cup and a $15,000 prize check, which is one of the most lucrative winner’s checks on the MAPGA’s tournament calendar.
In addition to the final purse, each qualifying event included a bonus pool of $5,000, which was shared between each qualifier’s champion and the runner-up. In total, more than 180 MAPGA Professionals participated in the series and competed for $50,000 in total prize money.
In addition to the Silvercrest Cup at Hermitage Country Club, the 2023 line-up of events included:
May 8-9 MAPGA Match Play at Suburban Golf Club in Baltimore, Md.; June 12 MAPGA Stroke Play #1 at Fawn Lake Country Club in Fredericksburg, Va.; August 15 MAPGA Stroke Play #2 at River Creek Club in Leesburg, Va.; and September 18-20 MAPGA Section Professional Championship at Baltimore Country Club in Timonium, Md. For more information visit: www.mapga.com.
About Silvercrest Asset Management Group
Silvercrest Asset Management Group was founded in April 2002 by a group of highly experienced investment professionals with the goal of creating a firm dedicated to serving individuals, families, and select institutions with significant financial assets. Since its inception, Silvercrest has nurtured an entrepreneurial, collegial, and action-oriented business culture with a client-first ethos that has led to a 98% client retention rate. Our dedication to serving our clients’ needs and providing institutional quality asset management capabilities to the marketplace has allowed Silvercrest to prosper and grow. Over the past twenty years, we’ve grown to a diverse organization with over 150 employees from various backgrounds in offices around the country, and today, we manage over $20 billion dollars in assets on behalf of our clients.
About
The Middle Atlantic PGA Section (MAPGA), located in Stafford, Virginia, is one of forty-one Sections of The Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA), headquartered in Frisco, Texas. The MAPGA has been a part of The PGA since 1925 and consists of over 1,100 members and apprentices in Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and small portions of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Over 900,000 golfers play more than 16.5 million rounds of golf a season in the Middle Atlantic region. As player development remains a driving force in the golf industry, the MAPGA provides a wide variety of programs and assistance to support its members who teach the game, promote goodwill, and share the game’s values with their golfing customers and communities. MAPGA Professionals assist in raising over $6 million annually for local charities.
Contacts
Ben Smith, Director of Communications, Middle Atlantic PGA Section, bsmith@pgahq.com
Kate Morin, Vice President, Silvercrest Asset Management Group, kmorin@silvercrestgroup.com
