Pro-Am Jam Nears $1 Million in Funds raised for Charleston-Area Children's Charities

The Denis, Denny & Mark’s Pro-Am Jam hosted by Student Transportation Inc. nearly toppled $1 million in funds raised over the five-year span of the annual celebrity concert and golf event held every October at the Daniel Island Club. The 5th Annual event, held this past October 24-25, raised a Pro-Am Jam record amount of $270,000, bringing the five-year fundraising tally to $990,000.

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. Proceeds from the event were recently donated to the charitable organizations represented by the three partners, which have a common mission in creating better opportunities for children in the Lowcountry.

“Our 5th Anniversary Pro-Am Jam was another huge hit,” stated Denis Gallagher. “We raised more funds for our three individual charities than any other year and are really just getting started. As always, all of our guests and sponsors had a great time at the auction, concert and golf tournament helping raise money to improve the lives of many children in the area and beyond.”

“Being on the verge of $1 million raised in only five short years is a testament to the generosity of all that support and participate in the Pro-Am Jam and the organizations it benefits,” added Hamlin, a 29-time winner on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. “Mark, Denis and I are amazed at how the event just gets bigger every year and enabling more children to benefit.”

Joining the three hosts at this year’s Pro-Am Jam were celebrities from the worlds of racing, music, entertainment and sports. NASCAR personalities included Hamlin, Danica Patrick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kyle Larson, Michael Waltrip, Joe Gibbs and Rick Allen. Bryan once again led an incredible “Jam” concert with his friends in the music industry, including fellow Hootie & the Blowfish band members Darius Rucker and Jim Sonefeld, plus musicians Gary U.S. Bonds, Edwin McCain, Kevin Kinney of Drivin’ N Cryin’, Chris Kirkpatrick of NSYNC, Javier Colon and Preston Pohl of NBC’s The Voice, Patrick Davis, 14-time Grammy winner Dan Tyminski, and Vini “Mad Dog” Lopez of the E Street Band among others.

“I’m thrilled with the success of this event,” added Bryan. “Denny, Denis and I are bringing people together to make a difference, through the joy of golf and music. We feel blessed by the opportunity, and hope to continue its legacy for years to come.”

The 2016 event also featured a hole-in-one by a Wounded Warrior who received a complimentary Toyota truck for achieving his accomplishment.

With proceeds from this year’s celebrity-packed event, the three partners have donated $90,000 to Carolina Studios, $90,000 to Student Transportation Inc. Cares Foundation, and $90,000 to The Denny Hamlin Foundation which in turn donated $25,000 of its portion to The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Children’s Hospital.

With its $25,000 donation to MUSC, The Denny Hamlin Foundation continued its longstanding support of Cystic Fibrosis research at children’s hospital facilities in Richmond, Virginia and Charleston, South Carolina. The Pro-Am Jam has donated $190,000 of its proceeds to The Cystic Fibrosis Center at MUSC Children's Hospital over the event’s five-year span.

“New, more effective therapies are developing fast that we hope to introduce earlier to our patients to prevent the consequences of CF,” said Barbara Rivers, Director of Development at MUSC Children’s Hospital Fund. “This means bringing studies for patients who are younger and have milder disease. The support from The Denny Hamlin Foundation helps us provide those studies for our patients as we work towards bringing a cure to CF. We are pleased to have recruited a new Pediatric CF Director at MUSC Children’s Hospital who will be engaged in these clinical studies for our younger patients with CF.”

Sponsors for the event included SunTrust, Blue Bird, Navistar/IC Bus, Thomas Bus, Collins Bus, FedEx and Tito’s Vodka. The 6th Annual Denny & Mark’s Pro-Am Jam hosted by Student Transportation Inc. will again return to the Daniel Island Club October 23-24. For sponsorship information please contact Doug Coupe at dcoupe@ridesta.com and for updates on the event, please visit www.facebook.com/TheProAmJam and follow on twitter at @ProAmJam.

Daniel Island Publishing

225 Seven Farms Drive
Unit 108
Daniel Island, SC 29492 

Office Number: 843-856-1999
Fax Number: 843-856-8555

 

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