Having a charitable component, quite simply, makes the United States Disc Golf Championship a better event. Since 2001, the USDGC has partnered with 14 different organizations that have ranged from Habitat for Humanity, to Rolling Thunder, to the Shriners Hospitals for Children. Each has touched a different part of the broader community and helped to keep things in perspective for the sporting event.
No better example of this occurred in 2014, when the USDGC partnered for the first time with Throw Pink. Throw Pink is a series of disc golf events held from March to October with the goal of raising money for breast cancer charities, while encouraging women and girls to learn and play disc golf.
Throughout Championship Week, Throw Pink’s fluorescent color scheme and its positive message commingled with the intensity of crowning the US Disc Golf Champion. Special events like Throw Pink Rock Hill and the Big Arm – Big Heart Distance Showcase, highlighted the Throw Pink organization and raised money to help put an end to breast cancer.
The tournament’s official cash donation to Throw Pink was $3,200. However, when you tally up all contributions from Championship Week, the total blossoms to $12,800. Tournament organizers and those affiliated with Throw Pink were excited about the success in year one.
Throw Pink Co-Founder Sara Nicholson said the donations were a big help. “With the USDGC’s help we not only met our fundraising goals for the year, but also raised more awareness for Throw Pink’s noble cause. The added exposure that the USDGC provided for us, will help us continue our efforts to end breast cancer while introducing women to the healthy lifetime recreation of disc golf,” wrote Nicholson in an email.
More than $200,000 of USDGC contributions have helped power the Educational Disc Golf Experience, a nonprofit that introduces disc golf to future generations by providing grade-specific, disc golf curriculum and equipment packages to schools and universities. A USDGC charitable partner since 2005, the EDGE program is now in all 50 states.
Partnerships like these have made the USDGC, now entering its 17th year, something much more than four rounds of championship disc golf. In the very near future, the USDGC will surpass $300,000 in total charitable giving and it has no plans of stopping there. Giving back is and will continue to be, an important aspect to this annual event.
