The Liberty Foundation closed the 22nd edition of the Liberty Foundation Golf Invitational Tournament awarding an unprecedented donation of $422,000 for 18 nonprofit organizations on the island. The donation was presented on Thursday, November 21 during the Tournaments Driving Dreams Gala Dinner, held at the St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort in Ro Grande.

The 18 organizations that received donations this year were Boys & Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico, Casa Familiar Virgilio Dvila, Casa de Nios Manuel Fernndez Juncos, Centro Espibi, Centros Sor Isolina Ferr, Felisa Rincn Gautier Foundation, Fundacin A-Mar, Fundacin CAP, Hogar Santa Teresita del Nio Jess, Hogares Teresa Toda, Instituto Nueva Escuela, Jvenes de Puerto Rico en Riesgo, Make Music Happen (Berklee in Puerto Rico), Movimiento para el Alcance de Vida Independiente (MAVI), Nios de Nueva Esperanza, Para La Naturaleza, Ponce Childrens Choir and the San Juan Childrens Choir.

As the foundation grows, so does our commitment to empower the organizations we support so they can continue helping underserved communities and individuals in Puerto Rico, said Naji Khoury, president and CEO of Liberty Puerto Rico and Liberty Foundations president. We are grateful for the support of our friends and partners, who have made it possible for us to make this record donation, the highest in the history of our tournament. With it, they validate the work that the Liberty Foundation is doing in favor of Puerto Ricos socio-economic development and future.

In a moving celebration, all of the guests had the chance to nominate one of the 18 beneficiaries for a raffle that awarded an additional $5,000 to the grants they had received originally. The raffles lucky NPOs were San Juan Childrens Choir, Casa de Nios Manuel Fernndez Juncos, Fundacin CAP, and Para la Naturaleza. In addition, the San Juan Childrens Choir delighted guests with a sample of their repertoire, while a band made of participants from the Berklee in Puerto Rico program closed the evening with a set of Latin Jazz, Latin American folklore, Puerto Rican standards and numbers from the 80s.

Khoury also thanked the dozens of Liberty Puerto Rico employees who donated their time and talents to ensure the tournaments success. He added that their contribution was vital in each step of the process, from the fundraising to the organization and execution of the tournaments logistics, which involved the coordination of over 300 guests and events in two separate venues.

Being able to make this historic donation to a higher number of beneficiaries is a dream come true for us. We are inspired by the courageous work these organizations do every day and these funds enable them to carry on despite Puerto Ricos challenging situation, said Yadira Valdivia, Liberty Foundations executive director. We hope to continue expanding our scope of work so many other organizations can also make dreams come true for communities and individuals in need.

As the Foundations key fundraising event, the 22nd Liberty Foundation Golf Invitational raised a net amount of $650,000. The remaining funds will be used to continue the Foundations philanthropic program throughout the entire year. The tournament has been raising funds for community organizations in Puerto Rico since 1996, when it raised $19,000 for the Hogar San Jos in Luquillo. Since then, the event has raised over $2.8 million for over 20 nonprofit organizations throughout the island, including this years donation.

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The Liberty Foundation Awards $422,000 to 18 Nonprofit Organizations | Business Gallery - The Weekly Journal