Denny and Mark's Pro-Am Jam supports local charities
Celebrity charity event hosted by NASCAR’s Denny Hamlin, Hootie & the Blowfish’s Mark Bryan and Entrepreneur Denis Gallagher raised money for local charities and donated a portion of the event’s proceeds to the Emanuel AME Moving Forward Fund
The 4th annual Denny & Mark’s Pro-Am Jam hosted by the Student Transportation of America Education Foundation (STAEF), which was held on October 26-27, was another major success raising over $200,000 for charity. The Lowcountry celebrity charity event has raised over $700,000 in its first four years.
The fundraiser again featured the partnership of NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin, Hootie & the Blowfish founding member and lead guitarist Mark Bryan and Denis Gallagher, CEO of Student Transportation Inc., and his company’s philanthropic arm, the Student Transportation of America Education Foundation.
Proceeds from the two-day fundraiser have increased each year and were recently donated to the charitable organizations represented by the three partners, which have a common mission in creating better opportunities for children. The Denny Hamlin Foundation was a beneficiary with the majority of its share being donated to MUSC Children’s Hospital for Cystic Fibrosis research. Mark Bryan’s non-profit, Carolina Studios, and STAEF, also received their portion of the funds raised that will benefit children throughout the Lowcountry.
Each year the event picks out a compelling local charity to support with a donation and this year the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church was selected. The oldest AME church in the south, it is known as “Mother Emanuel” and was the site of a terrible tragedy last June. The Pro-Am Jam showed its support for the good works of the church with a $10,000 donation from the proceeds of a special event T-shirt that incorporated the event logo into an “I Am Charleston Strong” message.
“We had another incredibly successful Pro-Am Jam. Our guests and sponsors had a fantastic time once again at this ‘can’t miss’ event,” stated Denis Gallagher. “The event raised a significant amount of money for our charities that will help improve the lives of many young children and students throughout the Charleston area. It was also very special for us to be able to help support Emanuel AME after what happened and let them know that we are all Charleston Strong.”
The event, which would not have been made possible without the support of the following major sponsors: SunTrust, Blue Bird/Roush CleanTech, Navistar/IC Bus, Thomas Bus, Collins Bus, Toyota, FedEx and the Daniel Island Company, featured a Celebrity Pro-Am Golf Tournament and a Jam Concert presented by SunTrust and included greats from the worlds of golf, music, racing, entertainment and sports. Denny Hamlin represented the world of NASCAR along with racing stars Kasey Kahne, Dale Jarrett and Michael Waltrip in addition to others.
“It’s been amazing to see the Pro-Am Jam become this marquee event every fall that brings so many great guests and celebrities together to support children and the Charleston community in multiple ways,” said Hamlin, a 26-time winner on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Mark Bryan once again led an incredible “Jam” with his friends in the music industry including band members from Hootie & the Blowfish, Scott Stapp of CREED, Aaron Lewis of Staind, Chris Kirkpatrick of NSYNC, country legend Johnny Lee, singer/songwriter Steve Azar, 14-time Grammy winner Dan Tyminski and many others from the worlds of country, pop and rock performing for the crowd of athletes, celebrities, sponsors and other VIPs in attendance.
“I’m so very grateful to be able to help raise money for these great causes, and I want to sincerely thank every sponsor and everyone in the Charleston community that helps bring this event to life,” stated Bryan.
The dates for the 5th Annual Denny & Mark’s Pro-Am Jam hosted by the Student Transportation of America Education Foundation are October 24-25. For sponsorship information, please contact Doug Coupe at 843.884.2720 or at dcoupe@ridesta.com. For updates on the event please visit www.facebook.com/TheProAmJam and follow on twitter at @ProAmJam.