PINEHURST, N.C. - Altoona, Pa.-based convenience retailer Sheetz hosted its 14th Annual Golf Classic "For the Kidz" May 20 to 21. Founded in 1998, this annual event serves as Sheetz Family Charities largest fundraiser??and pairs up amateur golfers with well-known sports celebrities.
There is something special about the smile of a child and employees of Sheetz have been fortunate to help make it happen for 20 years.
In 1992, two Sheetz district managers founded the For The Kidz holiday event (previously known as Sheetz Family Christmas) in an effort to make the holidays brighter for underprivileged children. At special holiday parties in each of the company??s operating areas, Sheetz employees present kids (identified by the Salvation Army) with new toys, clothes and other basic needs. Now, 20 years and more than $7.8 million in donations later, the For the Kidz event is going strong and helping thousands of children each year.
Through the years, as the business grew and the amount of giving increased, the company established an umbrella organization called the Sheetz Family Charities with an independent board of directors that has a limited representation from the Sheetz family. Travis Sheetz, executive vice president of operations, has served six years on the board along with recently appointed Ryan Sheetz, director of recruitment and staffing.
Money raised from this year??s golf tournament will be used to buy Christmas presents for underprivileged children in six states that Sheetz operates stores: Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, Ohio and North Carolina. According to Travis Sheetz, the company??s charitable programs "have provided us a way to make a community connection store by store. The customer reaction has been great and many have volunteered at Christmas to help out."
Highlighting the 14th Annual Golf Classic this year was a bevy of former sports stars who joined more than 400 participants. NFL players such as Barry Sanders, Bill Cowher, LC Greenwood, Mike Wagner, Mel Blount, Jack Ham, Steve Largent, Bruce Smith and Joe Montana hit the links, along with MLB Rick Reuschel, Kent Tekulve, Zane Smith and Jim Rooker, all former Pittsburgh Pirates at some point in their careers. Hulk Hogan represented pro wrestling, and still looks fit enough to climb back in the ring.
Help and support from the supplier community is expected to raise more than $400,000. "The smiles of the kids are so heartwarming and we are honored to be a part of it," said Scott Hill, NACS Supplier Board chairman and vice president of convenience store sales for Jack Link??s Beef Jerky, who was one of the more than 400 attendees.
The Sheetz Family Charities has also developed a partnership with the Make-A-Wish Foundation in 2005, which sponsored 30 families with seriously ill children to a dream vacation to Orlando. Since then the partnership has grown and in 2011, the charity donated $410,000 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, making it possible to send 41 families to Florida.
Barbara Becker, vice president and director of development for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Pennsylvania, said, "so many families are touched. They can take a timeout from their illness and hospital stays and go down to Disney World and spend a weeklong time carefree and be a family again."