Tiger Woods Foundation Marks 10 Years of Helping Youth

Tiger Woods Foundation Marks 10 Years of Helping Youth

TWF's Reach Extends to an Estimated 10 Million Young People

LOS ALAMITOS, Calif., Aug. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Since its inception in 1996 by Tiger Woods and his father Earl, the Tiger Woods Foundation has reached an estimated 10 million young people through various programs including the Tiger Woods Learning Center, the Start Something character development program, the TWF Programmatic Grants and Youth Clinics.

"The road to reaching 10 million kids has been an amazing journey, and I'm extremely proud of what we've accomplished," Founder Tiger Woods said. "I'm so grateful to everyone who has shared our vision for the past decade. We've come a long way in 10 years, and this is just the beginning."

Programs developed through the Tiger Woods Foundation all share a similar mission of empowering young people to dream big and set specific goals to achieve their dreams.

"We wouldn't be able to celebrate this milestone without my Dad's vision," Woods added. "His core values are reflected in everything we do, and the millions of kids we've reached are a tremendous legacy to his powerful message of caring and sharing."

In addition to positively affecting the lives of an estimated 10 million young people, TWF has also raised and dispersed more than $30 million to communities nationwide through grants, scholarships and the Tiger Woods Learning Center. Fundraising efforts include the Target World Challenge presented by Countrywide, Tiger Jam presented by AT&T, the TWLC Block Party, the TWF Youth Clinics, the TWLC fundraising campaign and various generous corporate and individual donations.

"There are many corporations, foundations and individual donors that have done amazing work to help foster TWF's growth these last 10 years," Foundation President Gregory T. McLaughlin said. "We are so thankful for their continued vision, support and dedication."

TWF PROGRAMS

The Tiger Woods Learning Center is the Foundation's newest initiative. A 35,000-square-foot education facility located on 14 acres in Anaheim, California, the TWLC is designed to offer students in grades 5 - 12 programs and career exploration in fields as varied as engineering, music production, home design, robotics and forensic science. Launched in February of 2006 at a ceremony with President Bill Clinton and California First Lady Maria Shriver, an estimated 5,000 kids will pass through the $25 million center during its first year.

Created in 2000 in partnership with Target Stores, Start Something is a free program for youth 8-17 that addresses three priorities: character education, volunteer service and career exploration. Through participation in Start Something, youth define a specific personal goal and develop an action plan to achieve it while giving back to their community and exploring careers that fit within their areas of interest. Since its inception, more than 3.8 million young people have enrolled in the program.

The TWF Grants Program has annually supported an average of 100 charities and non-profit organizations through nearly $6 million in grants, indirectly affecting an average 6 million kids since 1998. One of TWF's earliest programs, the TWF Grant Program was the organization's first step to creating a national initiative to help foster the development of America's youth.

The TWF Youth Clinics were born out of Earl and Tiger's love for using junior golf as a platform to teach young people valuable life lessons. During the early days of TWF, Earl and Tiger traveled across the country holding golf exhibitions for thousands of youth, reaching more than 500,000 young people through this grassroots effort. The program evolved to include community festivals and large golf exhibitions.

TWF also boasts the Tiger Woods Foundation National Junior Golf Team and the Friendship Cup. At the Friendship Cup, the Tiger Woods Foundation National Junior Golf Team and the Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation Junior Team compete in a three-day golf competition. In addition to playing golf, this unique event strives to provide the junior golfers an opportunity to share their different backgrounds and cultures.

FUNDRAISING

TWF's various fundraising events include the Target World Challenge presented by Countrywide, Tiger Jam presented by AT&T and the TWLC Block Party.

Tickets are on sale now at targetworldchallenge.com for the Target World Challenge presented by Countrywide. This PGA TOUR co-sponsored event, to be held Dec. 13 - 17, brings the world's finest golfers to Southern California's Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks. The top 16 PGA TOUR players available compete in the 72-hole, stroke-play event. Proceeds benefit the Tiger Woods Learning Center, charities supported by the TWF and the Start Something Program.

Sponsorships are available for the TWLC Block Party at The Grove in Anaheim, Calif., on Oct. 7, 2006. Musical icons Glenn Fry and Joe Walsh of The Eagles will provide live entertainment at the event that includes a VIP reception, a gourmet dinner created by celebrity chef Bobby Flay and hosting duties by comedian and TV-sitcom The King of Queens star, Kevin James. Last year's inaugural Block Party raised nearly $1 million for the TWLC.

Each year, the Tiger Woods Foundation presents Tiger Jam presented by AT&T, a benefit concert held at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The evening includes a gourmet dinner, live and silent auctions and legendary performances. Past performers and guests include Prince, Stevie Wonder, Bon Jovi, Counting Crows, John Mellencamp, Ray Romano, Conan O'Brien, Teri Hatcher, Charles Barkley and many others. Check the Foundation's website for upcoming announcements on who will appear at this spring's Tiger Jam X.

The Tiger Woods Foundation is also the primary beneficiary of the Deutsche Bank Championship, held Sept. 1 - 4, 2006. The annual PGA TOUR event features a one-day Pro-Am competition followed by a full field of players competing at the Tournament Players Club of Boston in Norton, Mass. The Deutsche Bank Championship has raised more than $4.5 million for the Tiger Woods Foundation and various New England charities.

www.tigerwoodsfoundation.org

Source: Tiger Woods Foundation

CONTACT: Emily Taylor of Tiger Woods Foundation, +1-714-816-1806; or
Scott Novak of Dan Klores Communications, +1-212-981-5223, for Tiger Woods
Foundation

Web site: http://www.tigerwoodsfoundation.org/

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