For its fourth year in a row, local advisory firm Grant Thornton is the Official Professional Services Provider of the PGA Tour, and a Proud Partner of The Players Championship.
As a Proud Partner of the Championship, Grant Thornton can select a local charity as their official Charity of the Day, and for this year’s tournament they have chosen the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Jacksonville.
Despite being the company’s first time selecting the RMHC as their Charity of the Day, this is not the first time the Jacksonville firm has volunteered with RMHC, and with the pandemic radically effecting the way many non-profits work, it could not have been better timing.
The Grant Thornton firm has begun donating meals to families staying within the RMHC facilities, noting that due to safety regulations with the pandemic, the RMHC is relying on less volunteers than usual.
“We are stepping in to be able to offer support,” said Carol Tarver, head of sponsorship and marketing at Grant Thornton.
Selecting the RMHC as their Charity of the Day at TPC also gives the charity an opportunity to receive even more local and financial support through the PGA Tour.
“Our firms tend to take on community efforts that speak to their local community, and we have used our Proud Partnership to highlight them at more of a national level,” said Tarver.
One of Grant Thornton’s nationwide efforts to support local non-profits is their Purple Paladins Program, where select non-profit social entrepreneurs who tackle challenges like disease, hunger, poverty, and inequality receive funding, business guidance, volunteer support, and a platform for public attention from the firms.
On February 11th, Grant Thornton used two of their Purple Paladin selections to deliver goods to children and families staying within the RMHC facilities.
Coming Up Rosies, Grant Thornton’s very first Purple Paladin recipient, donated “smile kits” for children to color. While Weird Enough Productions, another recipient, donated comic books.
These smile kits and comic books donated at the RMHC were meant to help children feel empowered and defy stereotypes.
“Sometimes our children’s mobility is limited, but the superheroes [in the comics] show our children that it is all about self-confidence, and that you are still strong and capable of anything you want to do,” said Ashley Strickland, marketing manager at RMHC.
The Grant Thornton organization selected these two Purple Paladin recipients because they felt that they aligned perfectly with the mission at RMHC, and that it was a mutually beneficial relationship.
“These are the people that are going to do the best for the community,” said Tarver. “They align with our core values.”
