Families struggling with medical bills from a serious illness. Single mothers dealing with a job loss. Even cases of homelessness with victims fleeing an abusive situation.

These and other hardships are heartbreaking stories to hear each year.

Bettendorf-Pleasant Valley Youth Baseball helps supply part of the solution to those problems, with parents simply wanting to ensure their kids have a chance to feel “normal” amid the chaos by growing up playing baseball with their friends.

So, our all-volunteer, non-profit organization raises funds annually to help cover the registration fees of those most in need of help in our community.

To help, consider making a $20 or more tax-deductible donation for the BPV to the Birdies for Charity program.

The donation link is: https://birdiesforcharity.com/donate

Just make sure to enter the BPV’s Birdies for Charity number — 1834 (Bettendorf-Pleasant Valley Youth Baseball).

ABOUT BIRDIES FOR CHARITY

Birdies for Charity is the benevolent fundraising program of the John Deere Classic, the annual PGA Tour stop in our community.

With Birdies for Charity setting the standard on the PGA Tour, the John Deere Classic has delivered over $159 million to local charities since 1971. Included was a record $13.9 million last year.

Deere & Co. covers all administration costs for the Birdies for Charity program, so 100-percent of the pledges collected are devoted to the charity of choice for those donors.

A matching grant from Deere & Co. also ensures a 5-10 percent bonus to each charity. A 7-percent bonus was received last year by the nearly 500 charities participating.

As part of the Birdies for Charity program, donors are asked to make a guess on how many birdies will be scored during the tournament, July 5-9.

Guesses closest to the correct number of birdies are eligible for prizes, including John Deere Classic tickets and memorabilia, and the Grand Prize of a two-year lease on a new Lexus. Last year’s winning birdies total was 2,041.

Pledges are due Friday, June 16 for prize-eligible guesses. Donations still can be made to Birdies for Charity until Friday, July 7.

NOTE: The minimum online donation is $20. Please be sure to complete each section of the donation form. Quad Cities Golf Classic Charitable Foundation is a 501©3 not-for-profit organization, EIN #93-1332421, doing business as John Deere Classic & Birdies for Charity. If you have any questions or experience difficulties with the online donation form, please contact info@jdclassic.com.