[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 172 (Wednesday, November 7, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S14058]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             COMMENDING CONTRIBUTIONS TO TEACH FOR AMERICA

 Mrs. DOLE. Madam President, I wish to recognize the fifth 
anniversary of the Wachovia Championship golf tournament at Quail 
Hollow Club in Charlotte.
  Several years ago, a number of leading North Carolinians gathered to 
begin the planning for this first-class event. Under the leadership of 
Quail Hollow president Johnny Harris, tournament chairman Mac Everett, 
and executive director Kym Hougham, the Wachovia Championship has 
quickly risen to the top echelon of sporting events in the country.
  These leaders desired to create a premier sporting event that would 
provide a first-class experience for patrons, PGA tour players, and 
volunteers that at the same time would have a significant economic 
impact for the Carolinas, showcase my State and region to a national 
and international television audience, and most importantly raise 
significant funds for charitable interests in the State.
  The primary beneficiary of the success of the Wachovia Championship 
is Teach for America. Funds generated from the tournament are used to 
support the national efforts of this organization.
  This past year, I circulated a letter that asked appropriators to 
fund the Teach for America program at a $15 million level for this 
fiscal year. Teach for America's goal is to provide students in urban 
and rural low-income areas with highly qualified teachers in order to 
eliminate educational inequity. This program is the national corps of 
top college graduates who commit 2 years to teach in underresourced 
public schools and become lifelong leaders in the pursuit of 
educational equity. After completing their 2-year commitment, 63 
percent of the Teach for America alumni continue to work in education. 
Since 1990, nearly 17,000 college graduates have joined Teach for 
America, impacting the lives of over 2.5 million students.
  I applaud the efforts that Wachovia is making to support this 
program. In its first 5 years, the Wachovia Championship has donated 
over $7.5 million to Teach for America and other charities. This year, 
to my understanding, the bank's donation to Teach for America is $1 
million, and their overall contributions to charities have been $1.95 
million.
  As you can see, this golf tournament has a much bigger impact on the 
community than its direct entertainment and economic impact. Through 
this golf tournament Wachovia has been able to reach out and affect 
overall society by helping students gain a quality education. 

                          ____________________