Bill Warner Sr. Memorial Charity Golf Classic Raises $170,000 for Vision To Learn
September 28, 2021
The Merchants Bonding Company Foundation’s 6th Bill Warner Sr. Memorial Charity Golf Classic raised $170,000 for Vision To Learn thanks to the support of 192 golfers, 48 corporate sponsors and numerous generous donors from across the country.
The proceeds raised at the Charity Golf Classic, held at Wakonda Club and Des Moines Golf & Country Club on September 27, 2021, will help Vision To Learn provide free eye exams and glasses to children who do not have the means to obtain them on their own.
“I am extremely excited, proud and humbled to announce that the funds we have raised from today’s Bill Warner Sr. Memorial Charity Golf Classic will help children in central Iowa get the vision care and eyeglasses they need to be successful in life and in the classroom,” said Merchants Chairman of the Board and President Larry Taylor.
“Roughly 80% of what a child learns occurs visually. As you can imagine, sitting in a classroom not having access to glasses is going to be a barrier in your everyday life, whether learning to read or participate in a sport,” said Corrine Kroger, Iowa Regional Director of Vision To Learn. “We have helped nearly 10,000 Iowa students have access to eye care. We are able to do this because of our strong partnerships. I want to thank you all so much for supporting Vision To Learn and making sure that kiddos have this opportunity. It means the world to us.”
Vision To Learn, a partnership of United Way of Central Iowa and Variety – the Children’s Charity of Iowa, seeks to give every child a chance to succeed in school and in life by bringing mobile clinics and trained eye care professionals directly to schools and community organizations. The program provides students with two free pairs of eyeglasses (one pair to take home and one to leave at school).
Since its inception in 2010, the Bill Warner Sr. Memorial Charity Golf Classic has raised more than $750,000 for organizations in Iowa. Past beneficiaries include the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society; Youth Homes of Mid-America; Blank Children’s Hospital NICU; Puppy Jake Foundation; and Easterseals Iowa.