2 0 0 7 - 0 8 W G A P A R C L U B - Evans Scholars Foundation

WGA PAR CLUB
“The Par Club members
and contributors to
the Bag Tag program
provide us with our
main stream of revenue
necessary to meet our
annual commitment
to the Evans Scholars
Program.”
Don Johnson
President & CEO
WGA/ESF
WGA/ESF Headquarters
Golf, Illinois
6
www.westerngolfassociation.com
Changing Lives ... One Caddie at a Time
Championships, Scholarships:
Giving Back Through Education
The Western Golf Association was founded
in 1899 by 11 Chicago-area golf clubs.
Today, more than 500 member clubs in
states throughout the nation support the WGA,
which conducts three national golf championships
and sponsors the Chick Evans Caddie
Scholarships.
Headquarters for the WGA and the Evans
Scholars Foundation are in Golf, Illinois, which
is also home to the Glen View Club, host of the
first WGA-sponsored professional and amateur
championships in 1899. In 1914, a national junior
championship was added to the WGA tournament
schedule.
In 2008, the WGA and title sponsor BMW are
hosting the BMW Championship – the third of
four PGA TOUR Playoff events in the TOUR’s
FedExCup competition. The WGA also conducts
the annual Western Amateur and Western
Junior championships.
Evans Scholars Foundation
Since 1930, the WGA has supported the
education of students by sponsoring the Evans
Scholars Foundation, which administers a college
scholarship program
for golf caddies.
The Foundation invests
in the futures of young
men and women through
the nation’s largest privately
funded college
scholarship program.
Started 78 years ago by
Charles “Chick” Evans
Jr. and the Western Golf
Association, the Foundation
provides full tuition
and housing grants to
deserving caddies. Since the first two Scholars
enrolled at Northwestern University in 1930,
8,590 young men and women have graduated
from college as Evans Scholars.
This year, 835 Scholars are enrolled. Their tuition
and housing grants are renewable for up
to four years, representing an average value of
$50,000. Most Evans Scholars attend one of the
14 universities where the Foundation owns and
operates a Scholarship House.
The scholarships are funded through contributions
from more than 100,000 golfers, including
37,000 WGA Par Club members. All
proceeds from the BMW Championship also
benefit the Evans Scholars
Program. The WGA
is governed by volunteer
officers and a Board of
Governors. John N. Fix,
of Kenilworth, Illinois, is
chairman of the Board of
Governors.
WGA board members,
who serve without pay,
Chick Evans
assist in fund-raising, caddie
matters, tournaments,
scholarships, legal issues and administrative affairs.
WGA Par Club
Founded in 1950, the WGA Par Club has
played a vital role in the Evans Scholars success
story. Par Club members contribute $200
or more annually to the Evans Scholarship Program.
Par Club support also is received through
memorial memberships.
In addition to the Par Club, more than
100,000 golfers also give through the annual
WGA Bag Tag program.
“The Par Club members and contributors to
the Bag Tag program provide us with our main
stream of revenue necessary to meet our annual
commitment to the Evans Scholars Program,”
stated Don Johnson, WGA president and CEO.
“We absolutely could not fulfill our obligations
without this generous, ongoing support.”
Funds raised through the Par Club and Bag
Tag program pay tuition and housing expenses
for the more than 800 Evans Scholars enrolled
each year at universities across the nation.
The Evans Scholars Alumni appreciate the importance
of this program and generate contributions
of more than $3 million annually.
For more information on the WGA Par Club,
please contact the Western Golf Association at
(847) 724-4600 or visit the WGA Web site at:
www.westerngolfassociation.com.