A well-placed golf shot sometimes leaves a mark when it lands on the green. A tournament like the Regions Tradition, held at Greystone Golf and Country Club May 16-20, also leaves a mark – one that benefits the community, local charities and much more.
The Regions Tradition has been a PGA TOUR Champions major tournament only since 2011, but the history of professional golf benefitting the Birmingham-area goes back more than 25 years now, with roots in the Bruno Memorial Classic and the Regions Charity Classic. Over that time, the tournament has raised more than $16 million for local charities – from the tournament’s primary beneficiary today, Children’s of Alabama, to hundreds of other local organizations.
And, since 2011, the tournament, as one of the Champions Tour’s elite events, has raised more than $4.5 million for charities.
The charitable impact is impressive, and the suppliers, businesses and others who benefit economically from the tournament also are significant. Consider the hotels, suppliers, drivers and more, as well as the notoriety of the event, and the economics of the event take fuller shape. The amount generated from the tournament exceeds $25 million annually, making it one of the top sporting events in terms of annual economic impact in the area.
This commitment to benefitting the local community defines Regions – not simply with an event such as the Regions Tradition, but also all across the 15 states served by the bank. In 2017, the company contributed more than $11.4 million to charities in communities served.
More significantly, events like Regions Tradition provide opportunities for Regions associates to bring much-needed financial education to consumers, students and others.
“One of our big initiatives is financial education; helping people learn to manage their money is something near and dear to us,” said Scott Peters, head of Consumer Banking at Regions.
For example, Regions has worked with other partners – the Southeastern Conference, for one – to bring financial education to thousands of student-athletes at member universities, a total of more than 7,000 since 2014. “Some, a few of them, will be drafted high and make a lot of money,” Peters added. “But all of them are going to go into the world and need to know how to manage their money.”
Last year, Regions was able to bring financial education seminars to thousands of people, leading more than 105,000 education events. And for Regions, that type of investment in people and in their ability to manage their funds is the type that makes people’s financial lives better, and makes the community stronger.
