Christel House, RCI’s charity of choice, works to provide underprivileged children with educational opportunities designed to help them develop skills and character, which in turn helps them break the cycle of poverty by providing them the opportunity to graduate from high school, and in many cases, give back to their own communities.
Two of the tournaments have already concluded in Scottsdale, Arizona and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, but beginning the first week of June, additional tournaments will begin to kick off in Indiana, New York, Florida, South Carolina, California, Virginia, Missouri and Colorado.
RCI has been the tournament’s primary sponsor and has played a huge role in its success in past years. Since the Christel House Open’s debut in 2003, the industry has helped raise a cumulative $9.7 million worldwide, with all proceeds going directly to Christel House. To put that in perspective, that amount of funding would cover a full year of Christel House services for nearly 1,300 impoverished students, which includes:
- Teacher salaries
- Student uniforms
- Breakfast, lunch and a nutritional snack daily
- Transportation to and from school
- Books and school supplies
- Healthcare
- Monthly parent and community outreach meetings
- Ongoing support and mentoring for graduates
The Open is the signature fundraising event for Christel House each year. According to Becky Arnett, director of timeshare development at Christel House International, “The tournament simply would not be possible without the support of our ‘Champions’ – the companies that host each tournament site. They are the heart and soul of the RCI Christel House Open and they have helped turn it into a beloved industry tradition. We are tremendously grateful to them.”
If you’re a golfer, it’s not too late to get involved in one of the remaining events. You can sign up for a foursome up to the week before the respective event by contacting Arnett directly at Barnett@christelhouse.org or by phone at 317-464-2009.
However, you don’t have to play golf to contribute. Aside from global corporate sponsorships, Christel House provides a number of other ways to help in addition to contributions. You can contact Arnett for more information, or click here to donate to the cause.
Hope to see you there!