PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida (January 19, 2019) - PGA TOUR Champions announced that its 2018 Charity of the Year is Variety - the Children's Charity of Iowa, an official tournament charity partner of the Principal Charity Classic®, presented by Wells Fargo.

The Principal Charity Classic, the annual PGA TOUR Champions event in Des Moines, has raised more than $17.7 million to help Iowa kids succeed since 2007. Last year, the tournament touched the lives of more than 130,000 children statewide.

 

"Variety is proud to be one of the Principal Charity Classic's tournament charity partners," said Sheri McMichael, Executive Director of Variety. "And to be recognized by the PGA TOUR Champions for that partnership and our efforts to provide inclusive play to all Iowa children is a great honor."

 

The national Charity of the Year honor celebrates Variety's commitment to improving the lives of Iowa kids. As Charity of the Year, Variety will receive a $30,000 donation from PGA TOUR Champions. The donation will be used to help fund the construction of the inclusive Variety Star Playground at Riverview Park, which will be Des Moines' second park with adaptive equipment for children with special needs.  

 

Variety advocates for and improves the lives of children throughout Iowa who are at-risk, underprivileged, critically ill and/or growing up with special needs. One of Variety's signature programs is "Bikes for Kids," which provides bikes, helmets and locks to kids, as well as adaptive bikes for children with special needs. Charitable dollars raised by the Principal Charity Classic have helped fund the donation of more than 100 adaptive bikes.

 

"The Principal Charity Classic makes a tremendous impact on kids across the state of Iowa, and we're proud to honor Variety as the PGA TOUR Champions Charity of the Year," said Miller Brady, President of PGA TOUR Champions. "Variety is one of the many great charities impacted by the Principal Charity Classic, and so many lives have been shaped because of the tournament's dedication to charitable giving."