Tournament distributes $830,000 to local charities

AKRON, Ohio ?Forty-three charities throughout the Northeast Ohio area benefited from more than $830,000 from the 2009 World Golf Championship-Bridgestone Invitational, as representatives from Bridgestone Americas, Inc., the PGA TOUR and Northern Ohio Golf Charities gathered today to celebrate the donations at the annual Bridgestone Invitational Northern Ohio Golf Charities Luncheon.
Grant recipients in attendance included: Here抯 Hope Horse Farm; Akron General Development Foundation, Edwin Shaw Challenge Golf; South Street Ministries; The First Tee of Cleveland; YMCA of Central Stark County; Mobile Meals; Children抯 Hospital Women抯 Board; MetroHealth Foundation, Inc.; and Access, Inc. Please see attached document for a full listing of grant recipients for 2009.
"Thanks to the support of the PGA TOUR and this entire community, the positive reach of the Bridgestone Invitational is felt 52 weeks of the year," said Paul Brady, President, Executive Committee, Northern Ohio Golf Charities, Inc. "Today, we celebrate the dollars raised by this world-class event and the impact that those dollars make on countless lives throughout Northeast Ohio."
For the second year, Bridgestone Americas, Inc. awarded an additional $5,000 of its own funds at this year抯 luncheon to a charitable organization facing a significant challenge. The Bridgestone Award was presented to Open M, a non-profit neighborhood-based, comprehensive ministry working in the community of South Akron. Open M serves numerous sections of the city and county with a variety of programs that touch the lives of more than 6,000 people each year.
"Our company has a culture of giving back to its communities and we view our partnership with the Northern Ohio Golf Charities as an extension of this philosophy put into practice," said Mark A. Emkes, Chairman, CEO & President, Bridgestone Americas, Inc. "Congratulations to the 2010 Bridgestone Award recipient Open M and the other charities recognized today. We feel privileged to be in a position to support organizations which are so valuable to the community."
Northern Ohio Golf Charities Foundation is part of a volunteer organization that has sponsored professional golf tournaments at Firestone Country Club for over 50 years. Tournaments have provided more than $19 million to local charities seeking to improve the quality of life in Northeast Ohio. Organizations benefiting from the proceeds of tournaments include the Beacon Journal Charity Fund, Here抯 Hope Horse Farm, Access Inc. and Metroparks.
"As thrilling as the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational is each summer, today is really the most exciting day of the year, as we witness the incredible ways the event helps our neighbors throughout Northeast Ohio," said Don Padgett III, Executive Director, Bridgestone Invitational. "Everyone associated with the Bridgestone Invitational ?from the volunteers, to the corporate clients, to the fans ?can take pride in knowing that the Bridgestone Invitational is an incredible success, not only as a world-class event, but also as a positive force within this community."
Among the dignitaries at the Bridgestone Technical Center in Akron, Ohio, were: Don Padgett III, Executive Director, Bridgestone Invitational; Paul Brady, President, Executive Committee, Northern Ohio Golf Charities, Inc.; Pam Williams, President, Northern Ohio Golf Charities Foundation, Inc.; Mark A. Emkes, Chairman, CEO & President, Bridgestone Americas, Inc.; Bob Handlos, Vice President of Product Development, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations; and John Vincent, President of Firestone Polymers, LLC.

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