Jersey City Det. Ed Dolan knew a good thing when he saw it. Five years ago, he came across a program offered by Barclay’s Golf Tournament that offered to give money to charity if a charity helped sell tickets to the event.
This was not just a percentage of the ticket sales, but the entire ticket price.
Dolan got in on the ground floor of a program called “Tickets Fore Charity,” back in 2009. His group was dedicated at least in part to helping the survivors of police officers killed in the line of duty, as well as helping schoolkids.
His group, the Jersey City Police Detective’s Benevolent Association (JCPD DBA), was founded after a police officer was shot in Jersey City in 2009.
“The DBA’s ongoing fundraising effort is two-fold,” he said in a public statement on the group. “First, funds raised will ensure benefits for our Fallen Officer’s Fund, which will continue to be in place for all of our active members. Second, as part of our commitment to the community, we will continue to support organizations that benefit the children of Jersey City. These organizations include Jersey City Public Schools, Special Olympics, and Toys for Tots, to name a few. Supporting families of our fallen officers, and giving back to the children of Jersey City community will continue to be the cornerstone of our culture as an organization.”
That year was a bad year for Jersey City Police. One day before his 38th birthday, Detective Marc DiNardo, a 10-year veteran of the Jersey City Police Department, died after being shot in the face, Dolan noted.
The detective had left behind three young children and his wife.
“We’ve received about $50,000 from the program.” – Ed Dolan
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Dependant on donations at first, the fund soon benefited from the Barclay’s program.
“We’ve received about $50,000 from the program,” Dolan said
Part of the PGA tour
The Barclays is part of the PGA tournament, which is held a various venues throughout the area. Last year it was held in Jersey City. This year it will be held at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus. Tickets Fore Charity allows area charities to earn money by selling tickets.
The Barclays, the first event in the FedExCup Playoffs, will feature the top 125 players on tour, Aug. 19 to 24.
Through TICKETS Fore CHARITY, The Barclays provides 501(c)(3) organizations with the opportunity to promote tournament tickets to benefit their organization with 100 percent of the net proceeds from the ticket sales (net proceeds exclude tax or processing fees) going to charity. Of this 75 percent goes to the charity promoting the tickets and 25 percent to The First Tee of Metropolitan New York.
The First Tee is an initiative of the World Golf Foundation aimed at positively impacting the lives of young people by providing learning facilities and educational programs that promote character development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf.
Since the program began in 2009, more than $890,000 has been generated for local non-profits.
There are two types of tickets available through the program: a weekly grounds ticket for $125; and a good-any-one-day grounds ticket for $65. The weekly grounds ticket is valid for each day of the tournament from Tuesday, Aug. 19, through Sunday, Aug. 24. The good-any-one-day grounds ticket provides access for any one day of the tournament.
A positive impact in the local community
The PGA TOUR, its players and tournaments support more than 3,000 charities nationwide. These local and national organizations benefit a variety of causes, positively impacting the lives of millions in the communities where PGA TOUR tournaments are held. In 2012, The Barclays donated $1.4 million to local charities.
Charlie Diamond of Tickets Fore Charity said Dolan has been a force for good in working with the program.
“Ed Dolan is the dictionary definition of a great guy,” Diamond said.
The tournament founded in 1967 is geared around charity donations, and since its foundation, and is seeking to expand its ability to do good in the communities where the tours take place.
“We want to have a positive impact in those communities,” he said. “We deal a lot with mom and pop businesses, and local charities such as the United Way, and this program allows us to interact in a way we didn’t before.”
He the tournament has as many as 2,000 volunteers helping to deal with everything from parking to putting up signs.
“We work with the police and fire departments, building inspector and government when we come into a community and we want to have a positive impact when we leave,” he said. “Eddy has done a great job. He’s taken full advantage of this program, and we couldn’t ask for a better cause – especially when we know the money is going to help the family of a fallen police officer.”
Local groups can sell tickets on their own or get credit for sales on the program website: www.buytfc.org.
The program kicked off in April and comes to an end the Sunday before the actual opening of the tournament. This means that credit for sales to charities are given up until 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 17.
While Dolan’s charity provides tickets to local kids to the tournament and hosts a number of other things through the schools, the survivor’s fund will be raising money for Det. Melvin Santiago, who died in the line of duty last month.
Tickets can be purchased on line at www.buytfc.com. Be sure to look for the link to the Jersey City Police Detective’s Benevolent Association.
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.