2008 LexisNexis® Cares Golf-a-thon Challenge

We have heard Vijah Singh's challenge - "I am donating $5,000 to St. Jude Children's Hospital for every eagle I make this year. What are you doing?". LexisNexis is providing its employees, clients and partner golfers regardless of skill level, location, or frequency of play with an opportunity to make every par-or-better hole they score this year also count towards something truly memorable and meaningful.

This year, LexisNexis Cares has selected to play for the The First Tee,  The Women's Alliance,  Habitat for Humanity International,   ABA Young Lawyer’s Division and the  National CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). Participating partners and clients can also add their own corporate charities to the above list.

Participants select from the list of charities at registration. They pledge a few cents for each par-or-better hole that they score during the golf-a-thon. At the end of the golf-a-thon, they contribute their total pledge to the local chapters of the charity that they selected. The charity will return a receipt for tax purposes.

The 2008 LexisNexis Cares Golf-a-thon Challenge is also an individual and team competition for prizes, bragging rights, championship trophies and a week-end at David Leadbetter Golf Academy. Players can therefore share and celebrate their golf successes with others by providing their peers, family and friends with the opportunity to also pledge money on their behalf to a worthy cause.

This year's goal include raising more than $25,000 for charity by December 31 and having a great time doing it!

All tracking, calculations and ranking of individual and team golf performances and pledges is done by the GolfChamp Databank - a private golfer's databank with a yearly membership fee. Participants who register before May 1, 2008 will save $15 off the $40 yearly membership fee. A participant (golfer or non-golfer) can also form his/her own team, register as a captain and receive free membership!

•  Recruiting additional team members
•  Answer questions regarding the program
•  Accompany your team if they qualify for the LeadBetter Weekend or final Championship
•  Motivating your team's local players
•  To add/captain a new team - Email: Add/Captain a New Team

•  Playing golf anywhere, anytime, with anyone and adding your scores to the GolfChamp Databank
•  Playing for Charity by celebrating your par-or-better holes through pledges
•  Playing for Fun and Prizes. Five or more scores are needed to qualify for prizes
•  Competing and enjoying friendly team camaraderie among your peers!

Prizes/Awards That Individuals Can Win

• GARs are: Low 70’s, High 70’s, Low 80’s, High 80’s, 90s and Over 100s
• Age Groups(years old) are: 4-12, 13-18, 19-50, 51-60, 61-70, 71-80 Over 80
• Top three (3) ranked females in each GAR based on funds raised
• Top three (3) ranked Males in each GAR based on funds raised
• Top three (3) ranked females in each GAR based on points from best four rounds
• Top three (3) ranked Males in each GAR based on points from best four rounds

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Benefiting Charities and Partner Organizations

The First Tee

The First Tee is a World Golf Foundation initiative dedicated to providing  young people of all backgrounds an opportunity to develop, through golf and character education, life-enhancing values such as honesty, integrity and sportsmanship. The intent is to offer opportunities for improvement in the quality of life and create a platform where children can increase their potential for success.

Each participant pledges a small amount for each par-or-better point they earn during the golf-a-thon to their local The First Tee Chapter. Participants are encouraged to reward themselves by also soliciting/collecting personal pledges (e.g., family, friends, peers) for their pars-or-better scores. At registration, each participant enters his/her home zip/postal code which the databank uses to provide them with the address of their local chapter.

The Women's Alliance

The Women’s Alliance - The Women's Alliance is a national organization of independent community-based members who provide professional attire, career skills training and related services to low-income women seeking employment. The Women's Alliance strengthens our members through organizational and program development, marketing and public relations. Each year, The Women's Alliance helps more than 50,000 women in transition from welfare and poverty to overcome significant employment barriers and the "cost of making a good appearance." Services provided ensure that low-income women have the professional attire and career skills coaching they need to make the right impression on job interviews and to succeed in the workplace.

Habitat for Humanity International

Habitat for Humanity International - Habitat for Humanity International is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry. HFHI seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world, and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. Habitat invites people of all backgrounds, races and religions to build houses together in partnership with families in need. Habitat has built more than 225,000 houses around the world, providing more than 1 million people in more than 3,000 communities with safe, decent, affordable shelter. HFHI was founded in 1976 by Millard Fuller along with his wife, Linda.

ABA Young Lawyer’s Division

ABA Young Lawyer’s Division - The Young Lawyers Division's mission is to further the Association's goals and purposes, and thereby to serve the community and the legal profession; to represent young lawyers in the Association, and to represent the Association to young lawyers; to help shape the policies and priorities that affect young lawyers and the legal culture in which they practice; and to create a deliberative forum for the exchange and expression of young lawyers' views, and a voice to advocate those views.

National CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates)

National CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) - The mission of the National Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Association, together with its state and local members, is to support and promote court-appointed volunteer advocacy for abused and neglected children so that they can thrive in safe, permanent homes.

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Contact Information

Contact Information

For questions throughout the year, contact ParsforCharity Info.

Email: peryerdj@parsforcharity.org
Fax: 610-539-5105

To add/captain a new team - Email: Add New Team

To add a new Partner/Organization - Email: Add New Partner

For registration issues - Email: Sign-Up/Join Issues?

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FAQ's

Details and FAQ regarding the 2008 LexisNexis Cares Golf-a-thon Challenge

Q: How do I raise money for the selected charities?
A:Play golf! You pledge money yourself and solicit pledges from peers, friends, family, etc.
Based on Gross Scores for each hole played, points are:
•  Double Eagle = 16pts
•  Eagle = 8pts
•  Birdie = 4pt
•  Par = 2 pt
•  Net Par = 1pt

Q: Can I also pledge money per point and have friends and family sponsor me?
A: Yes! It is a golf-a-thon. It is an opportunity to celebrate all your pars-or-better scores and make them count towards something meaningful. We therefore encourage you to additionally pledge for yourself and solicit as many pledges as you can from friends, family and peers.

Q: How does my peers, friends and family sponsor me?
A: They select Pledges from the submenu at the top of this screen. They identity themselves, select a charity from the list and select a player from the list of valid participants. If they work for any of our sponsoring organizations that will match their employee donation, they can indicate this. The databank will track and provide 24/7 status of what they owe.

Q: What charity will my personal donations go to?
A: Your choice from a list of several charities. At registration, you select and notify us of your zip/postal code. At the end of the golf-a-thon, the ParsforCharity databank will notify you of how much you owe as well as the address of the local chapter of your selected charity where you should mail your check. You will be mailed a receipt for tax purposes.

Q: Is this a traditional, one day golf tournament?
A: No, the 2008 LexisNexis Cares Golf-a-thon Challenge runs from March 1st – December 31st. Every round you play, regardless of where, when or with whom you play count.

Q: Who is eligible to play?
A: All employees of LexisNexis employees, clients and partners!

Q: What is the competitive team structure?
A: Divisions, Regions, Teams. There is currently one division - LexisNexis USLM The USLM division currently has 4 regions - USLM Northeast, USLM Midwest, USLM Southeast and USLM West

Q: Can participants from clients and partners see how they rank against each other?
A: Yes! At registration, each participant identifies his/her organization. The GolfChamp databank ranks all individuals and teams by against each other

Q: Do I need a handicap?
A: No, players do not need to have an established handicap, everyone is welcome to join. The Pars for Charity database will calculate for you a Golf Ability Rating (GAR) based upon the scorecards you turn in. A GAR is very similar to that of the USGA Official Handicap.

Q: Do I need to have a team selected before I can play?
A: No, if you are not recruited by a specific team in your region, you will be assigned to a team in your region.

Q: Do I need to play with other SAP employees for my scores to count?
A: No, players do not need to play with other team members for their round to count, but the score needs to be a full round (18 holes). It can also be the combination of two nine hole scores that was played within a ten day period

Q: Will anyone else be able to see my scores?
A: The top five score cards from each player will be available for viewing. This is to ensure the competitive nature of the LexisNexis Golf-a-thon Challenge. However, the number of rounds that each player has played will be kept strictly confidential.

Q: What does the $40 registration fee cover?
A: Membership To Golfchamp Databank The $40 Fee will cover all administrative costs associated with LexisNexis Golf-a-thon Challenge, including prizes, awards and keeping as many scores as you'd like to enter. It will also provide you additional access to Pars for Charity for 1 year - Jan 1 - Dec 31 to enable you to track all your cards and playing statistics.

•  You will be provided with a golfname and password for the GolfChamp databank upon receipt of your payment. To view and maintain your individual scores and data profile, access the Personal Databank . Upon entering, click on the "Members"  logo located on both the top and side menu bar and enter your golfname and password. Then, select any menu-item from your personalized menu bar.

Q: How do I enter my scores?
A: You can log on and enter your own card here  .

Q: How are team members ranked?
A: This is done automatically by The GolfChamp Databank once you have entered at least 5 scores. It uses a modified stableford system (often referred to as the Over Quota System).

1. You start each round with a number of quota points (or points to earn during your round). Your quota points is 36 less your Handicap/GAR which is calculated automatically for you by the GolfChamp databank once you have entered 5 or more scores
2. You are awarded points for each good hole you score during the round. You are awarded points: Bogey = 1, Par = 2, Birdie = 4, Eagle = 8 and Double-eagle 16. You lose 1 point for each Triple or worse
3. An overQuota value is calculated from the difference between your starting quota and points you earned during the round
4. The average of the best 4 of your last 9 overQuota scores (in date sequence) are used for ranking
5. Example:
   1. Your GAR/Handicap = 16
   2. Your Starting quota  = 36 - 16 = 20
   3. You made 5 bogies, 6 pars, 1 birdie and 2 triples during your round
   4. You were awarded (5 *1) + (6*2) + (1*4)-(2*1) = 19 points
   5. Your over quota for that round is -1. Note that even or over is the desired result 

Q: How are teams ranked?
A:  Teams are ranked against each other based on the average overQuota scores of their top 6 ranked players..

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Past Annual Golf-a-Thon Results

2007: For the fourth year in a row, SAP Americas provided its employees, clients and partners with an opportunity to celebrate and enjoy competitive fun and team camaraderie while generating $15,000 in charitable revenue for the American Red Cross and over $10,000 to The First Tee based on the pars-or-better golf holes played by SAP NA employees, partners and clients. A team from Global Marketing - "The Atlanta Prime Time South" based in Atlanta, Georgia won the fund raising title by raising over $4,000.

2006: SAP celebrated it's third year of internal competitive fun and team camaraderie by generating $19,000 in charitable revenue for the American Red Cross based on the good golf holes played by SAP NA employees. With the Ernie's Castaways from New York stealing the fund raising title away from the Dallas Drivers.

2005: We surpassed our $10K objective and finished with 103.5% of goal. We also had repeat team champions. Taylor-made golf team won the annual SAP Golf Challenge and Dallas Drivers won the year end Championship.

2004: The total charity funds in this phenomenal first year of this event totaled $8,500. And the Dallas Drivers started showing SAP what they had by placing first!

Over the past 4 years more than 78,000 holes of golf have been played by SAP employees with charitable contributions in excess of $57,000!

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