Our donors: Sanderson Farms Championship, campaign form winning team
Published on Friday, January 18, 2019
By: Annie Oeth
The Sanderson Farms Championship, Mississippi’s premiere PGA TOUR event, may bring to mind the gracious elegance and manicured greens of the Country Club of Jackson and the athleticism of up-and-coming golf professionals. Its enduring legacy, though, is its impact on the health of Mississippi’s children.
Century Club Charities, host of the Sanderson Farms Championship, donated a record-setting $1.25 million to Friends of Children’s Hospital from the 2018 tournament.
Not only does the Sanderson Farms Championship help raise funds to benefit Children’s of Mississippi, but Century Club Charities’ philanthropy has inspired others to give.
During this year’s Sanderson Farms Championship, Carl Allen, Allen Exploration CEO, announced a $500,000 donation to the Campaign for Children, following a $500,000 gift he announced during the 2017 tournament.
Gigi and Carl Allen announced a $500,000 donation this year to the Campaign for Children’s of Mississippi, following a $500,000 gift in 2017.
“My wife, Gigi, and I are fully committed to the children of Mississippi and especially those at Batson Children’s Hospital through the Sanderson Farms Championship,” Allen said. “We both recognize that you can’t affect change unless you affect it at the level of the children.”
Last year, Sanderson Farms COO Lampkin Butts and his wife, Susie, announced a $1 million gift after touring Batson Children’s Hospital. The hospital visits, Lampkin Butts said, “just opened our eyes to what this hospital means to the state of Mississippi and to the children.”
Said Susie Butts: “The children there left their fingerprints on our hearts.”
Susie and Lampkin Butts have donated $1 million to the Campaign for Children’s of Mississippi.
In December, the Sanderson Farms Championships was honored by the PGA TOUR, earning the award for Best Charity Integration during the 2018 tournament at the Country Club of Jackson. The award is given each year to the tournament that best incorporates their charitable goals into their tournament.
“Our staff and constituents have worked very hard these last five years to ensure the patients at Batson Children’s Hospital are woven into the fabric of the event,” said Sanderson Farms Championship Executive Director Steve Jent. “To be recognized as being the Best Charity Integration on the PGA TOUR is very gratifying for Sanderson Farms and Century Club Charities.”