Swing for the Kids ready to tee off

The tournament has proven an outstanding success with some of the nation’s most needy benefitting

Scheduled for April 10, 2011, the 5th Swing for the Kids tournament will be held at Phoenix Golf Course, Hoa Binh province with almost 250 golfers expected to join.

Vinausteel and SSESteel are again on board as the tournament’s joint Diamond Sponsor, while Vincom JSC and Minh Viet Investment Corporation take on the Platinium Sponsor titles.

Agribank and KinderWorld become two new major sponsors with gold and silver sponsorship commitments respectively, followed by two bronze sponsors Long Thanh Golf Club and Akzo Nobel.

VIR editor-in-chief and Swing for the Kids organising board head Nguyen Anh Tuan said the 5th tournament was a meaningful event for VIR as it would also celebrate its 20th Anniversary in September this year.

“This event is in line with our strategy, which pays special attention to contributing to social development besides going shoulder-to-shoulder with the business community,” he said.

“Echoing the government’s policies to create the best conditions for talented pupils and students and build a learning-oriented society, this tournament aims to raise funds for supporting needy pupils and students to make brilliant achievements in their studies,” he added.

Kicked-off by VIR in coordination with the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI)’s Foreign Investment Agency in June, 2007, Swing for the Kids has been eagerly participated by nearly 600 golfers, including senior government officials, diplomats and businesspeople.

The tournament is honourably chaired by former Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Manh Cam, who is also chaiman of Vietnam Learning Promotion Association, and MPI Minister Vo Hong Phuc.

During the past four years, Swing for the Kids has raised over VND3 billion to fund more than 4,900 scholarships for needy pupils and students in 38 cities and provinces and contribute to building and repairing schools in natural disaster-striken areas.

The tournament has also involved a row of generous sponsors including Prudential Vietnam, Hanaka, Sovico, Gamuda Land, Chiap Hua Vietnam, Foxconn, ACB, Sacombank, BP, Chi Linh Golf&Country Club, Tam Dao Golf and Resort, Van Tri Golf Club and many others.

Swing for the Kids 2011’s Award Ceremony, which will also be held at Phoenix Golf Course, will see a T-shirt with original signatures of the UK’ Newcastle United Football Club players kindly donated by SSESteel chief executive officer Alan Young for auctioning for charity purposes.

At Swing for the Kids 2009, a Tiger Woods photo with his signature, also donated by Young, was sold at $10,000 after a successful auction.