The Tour Players Foundation, the charitable foundation of the European Tour and its Members, made a donation of $50,000 to the Special Needs Families Group, a local organisation to the Dubai World Championship, whose primary focus is providing holistic support to young adults with special needs through personalised and professional care at their Children Development Centre.
The donation has been made possible by the partnership of Genworth Financial and the Tour Players' Foundation in the Putts for Charity Initiative during 2009. The initiative raised over €150,000 during five events by donating various sums for “One Putts” made by the professionals on the course and public at the Putts for Charity putting greens in the sponsors villages each week.
To highlight the contribution of all Tour Players who have supported the Putts for Charity Initiative during the season and the new "Putts for Charity Putter of the Year Award" which was awarded to the winner Anthony Wall at the Genworth Financial Statistics Awards Dinner, Genworth donated $50,000 to the Tour Players Foundation.
Putts For Charity "One Putts" Standings
Anthony WALL131
Scott DRUMMOND130
Raphaël JACQUELIN128
Paul BROADHURST128
Miguel Angel JIMÉNEZ127
Thongchai JAIDEE126
Alvaro QUIROS125
Francesco MOLINARI122
The Tour Players Foundation Board of Trustees chose to pass the donation straight on to an organisation local to the Dubai World Championship as Dubai has played such an important role in the last 20 years of The European Tour and it's Players, even more so now with The Race to Dubai.
The SNF Group and its Children Development Centre was chosen due to the inspirational story of Mrs Safia Bari and the significant difference a donation can make to the families and children that the group cares for.
The SNF Group was founded by Mrs Bari, a mother of a special needs child who faced the obvious difficulties a parent would, but by coming into contact with other special needs parents she seized the opportunity to help others by creating a group that could aid each other in the care of their special needs children.
The group of parents started by caring for the children at each other’s homes until Mrs Bari, realised her dream of having their own premises in April 2007. Their Children Development Centre is within the Karama Centre which is located Al Karama area of Dubai and is the focal point of the SNF Group and their work with special needs families.
Mrs Bari said: "At The SNF Children Development Centre, we aim to equip our children with special needs, with skills to make them independent enough to face life with confidence. Our goal is to move to larger premises, so as to enable us to offer our services to many more young adults with Special Needs. With rents still high, we have been unable to do this. This support from your organisation will now make it possible for us to consider such a move."
TPF Trustee Emma Stenson, wife of Ryder Cup player Henrik and a Dubai resident, and Jonathan Orr, Financial Director of The European Tour, along with Sanna Hansen, Diane Donald, Charlotte Kjeldsen and Lauren Wilson from the ETWA went to the centre to meet the children and Mrs Bari. They spent time with the children and gave them gifts of educational toys and also presented them with the donation cheque.
Mrs Stenson, Trustee of the Tour Players' Foundation, commented: "The story of the Special Needs Families Group was inspirational to us and shows how community spirit can produce wonderful results and it is our pleasure to provide a helping hand to a Dubai organisation. The European Tour and its Members have enjoyed many years of fabulous golf in Dubai and it is wonderful for us to give back to the community that has been so welcoming."
Since its inception in 2003 the SNF Group has survived with the generosity of the families and volunteer supporters who have had a close affinity to the group and now with the SNF Children Development Centre the need for support is greater than ever. So it is with great pleasure that the Tour Players' Foundation in conjunction with Genworth can make this donation which will have a significant impact to the organisation and enable them to continue their fantastic work in the Dubai Special Needs Community.
