BELMONT, Mich. - This week marks the start of the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give's pre-tournament festivities, as well as the start of something special the tournament is doing for mothers and families.
Officials have added a Family Care Area for nursing mothers and parents to use during tournament week at Blythefield Country Club.
Meijer LPGA Classic is the first tournament on the tour with specific rooms for lactation use and diaper changing on the golf course, according to Ricki Lasky, the LPGA’s chief tournament business officer. The tour has 11 mothers actively playing and three more players are expecting this year.
The added support for moms attending the Meijer LPGA Classic is not lost on LPGA Professional Cristie Kerr.
“The support Meijer has provided for us moms on tour has been amazing. We are creating a new normal, traveling with our kids to compete in tournaments, and it’s great to see the progress over time,” said the 20-time LPGA tour winner. “The Meijer LPGA Classic is an event I look forward to every year and I am so excited to see the new Family Care Area that they are creating this year.”
RELATED: Golf fans get a Grand Taste of local food and beverages during Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give
“Each year, we try to build on the momentum of the previous year to do more for families,” said Cathy Cooper, Executive Director of the Meijer LPGA Classic. “More than 50,000 people attended our tournament last year, and we know many of them would’ve appreciated this convenience. We are pleased to partner with Kimberly Clark to extend this service, which is the first on the Tour.”
The upgraded hospitality area, called The Kimberly Clark Family Care Area, will be located next to Discovery Land in front of the 18th Tee. This air-conditioned tent will include four locking rooms – two of which will have lactation stations and four will have diaper changing stations – and an upgraded waiting area for kids and families. Kimberly Clark will also have samples for families who utilize the space. It will be open from Wednesday through Sunday of tournament week.
The 2019 Meijer LPGA Classic will host a full field of 144 of the best women golfers for 72 holes of stroke play over four days of competition -- the tournament officially starts Thursday. Youth, ages 17 and under, will receive free admission to the tournament with a ticketed adult. Discovery Land is free and open to anyone with a ticket to the Meijer LPGA Classic.
Proceeds from the tournament – and each of the week’s festivities – will once again benefit the Meijer Simply Give program that restocks the shelves of food pantries across the Midwest. The 2018 tournament alone raised $1.1 million for local food pantries through Simply Give. In total, the five tournaments have generated more than $4.2 million for the Meijer Simply Give program.
The spring Simply Give campaign is underway and runs through the end of the tournament on June 16. Individuals may purchase a $10 Simply Give donation card at any Meijer store during that time frame to support the store’s local food pantry partner.
For more information on the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give or to volunteer or purchase tickets, please visit meijerLPGAclassic.com.
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