LPGA Tour Rookie Jennifer Song demonstrated the breadth of her heart at the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup Wednesday. Song, who donates one third of her earnings every time she tees it up in a tournament, is playing for Arizona Quest for Kids this week. The 2009 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion spent much of her practice day talking with the students benefiting from the program and giving some tips on the driving range.
Song researches the charities in the communities in which she plays and chose Arizona Quest for Kids – an organization whose mission is to prepare students, who would otherwise not have the opportunity, for success in higher education through mentoring, enrichment, and college guidance – because it reminded her of one of her favorite causes, the Boys and Girls Club. "I was very blessed,” Song said. “”My parents allowed me to dream. Kids who don't have that need someone who allows them to.”
Giving back is something that sits at the very core of Song. “Ever since I was a little kid, if I'd see disasters on TV, my dad would say, 'Don't you want to give them something?' I'd say, 'Dad, I don't have any money!' But he'd encourage me to give even $5 if that's all I had. He told me, 'You have to be able to give even when you don't have something.'
A top-10 finish this week for Song, who graduated to the LPGA Tour by finishing second on the 2010 Futures Tour money list, could make a big difference in the lives of the students at Arizona Quest for Kids. Song’s charitable heart is an inspiration. "This means a lot,” said Dana Carroll, Arizona Quest for Kids Executive Director. “It shows our kids what you can do when you pay it forward."
The RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup will donate its entire $1 million purse to charity, with $500,000 going to The LPGA Foundation and its LPGA-USGA Girls Golf program and $500,000 going to the top-10 finishers’ designated charities. Every day this week, the LPGA will feature a player’s designated charity, or charities, through LPGA 360.
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