Since its inception in 2007, volunteers have raised $665 000 for the annual PartnershipsInAction Golf tournament.
The sound of the approaching helicopter grew louder. A bagpipe played in the background. Two hundred people stood on a rolling hill top, poised for the grand moment. The helicopter hovered over the green fairway...
Three hundred golf balls fell from the sky, dancing chaotically as they reached the earth. The PartnershipsInAction Annual Golf Tournament had officially started.
Dallas
A golfer takes a swing to end global poverty. Courtesy of AKF-USAVolunteers welcomed civic leaders and entrepreneurs to the Tribute Golf Club on 12 May 2008 for the Second Annual PartnershipsInAction Golf Tournament in Dallas, Texas. The annual golf tournament – a fundraising initiative of the Aga Khan Foundation USA (AKF-USA) – brought together 130 golfers and provided a unique opportunity for Americans to learn about international development while enjoying a day on the green with friends and colleagues.
Colourful and informative bulletins about the work of the Aga Khan Foundation were on display at each of the 18 holes, and after the four-hour round of golf, players were treated to a banquet dinner where keynote speaker Dr Mona Khanna spoke about the Foundation's efforts to enable underprivileged communities to become self-reliant.
The banquet was also attended by the Mayor of the Colony, John Dillard, as well as a number of professional golfers. Several members of the Dallas Cowboys football team were also on hand, and donated signed footballs and helmets to the ongoing silent auction.
The Dallas tournament was the first in a series of PartnershipsInAction Golf tournaments planned across the country. In its inaugural year in 2007, the event raised $350 000 with the participation of over 1 000 golfers and sponsors. One hundred per cent of donations and all net proceeds from the tournaments go directly to projects supported by the Aga Khan Foundation.
Atlanta and Houston
The day after the Dallas tournament, Atlanta's Country Club of the South opened its doors to 86 golfers. Following an enthusiastic kick-off by Mayor Mike Bodker of Johns Creek and a full 18-hole round of golf, Georgia State Representative Melvin Everson delivered a heartfelt keynote address emphasizing everyone's responsibility to reach out and learn about different cultures and backgrounds.
“We all came from Adam – it is those things that we don't know about each other that keep us separated,” he said. “In order for us to understand each other much better we have to communicate.”
Participants pose at the Atlanta golf tournament, held at Country Club of the South. Courtesy of AKF-USAA week later, on 19 May, Ron Trevino, morning anchor for Channel 11 KHOU, was the master of ceremonies at a tournament held at the Sweetwater Country Golf Club in Houston. Naushad Kermally, Chairman of AKF-USA's Southwest Region volunteer team highlighted the work of the Aga Khan Foundation. He explained how its programs reduce conditions of poverty by improving access to quality education and health care, and creating opportunities for people to improve their income and meet daily challenges.
The tournament's guests also included representatives from Pepsi Co. who after participating in the tournament donated an additional $65 000 to the AKF-USA Partnership Walk.
PartnershipInAction
Volunteers prepare to register golfers at the tournament. Courtesy of AKF-USAHistorically, AKF USA's flagship program has been the Partnership Walk where 239 000 participants have turned out since 1995 to walk in support of fighting global poverty. In 2007, AKF USA inaugurated Partnership Golf, and inspired by the new genre of participants and success created PartnershipInAction.
This family of initiatives includes the Partnership Walk, Partnership Golf, Partnership Village, and Partnership Day, as well as receptions and global education activities. PartnershipInAction activities involve young and old in community based partnerships to help reduce hunger, disease, illiteracy and poverty.
“It is amazing to see experienced as well as first-time golfers coming together to support the cause to end global poverty,” said Rahima Nanji, a volunteer at the Atlanta tournament. She attributes the success of the event to the continued support of the local community, local leaders, and the commitment of AKF-USA volunteers. Future PartnershipInAction events are planned in cities across the country.
