December 9, 2020 – The Liberty Foundation successfully held a virtual edition of its 23rd Liberty Foundation Golf Invitational - A New Reality Tournament with a record-breaking donation of $500,000 distributed among 23 nonprofit organizations in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The donation was presented right before the game, which took place on Friday, December 4, 2020 at a virtual golf course created exclusively for the tournament. The event marked the first time that a golf tournament was held in virtual form in Puerto Rico or across the Caribbean.
“This tournament is significant since it is the first time that a golf tournament was held in virtual form in Puerto Rico or across the Caribbean. Because of the pandemic we could not hold the regular tournament as we normally get many participants who travel to Puerto Rico just for the event. Nonetheless, our intent on holding an event in some shape or form became a reality in order to raise funds for our beneficiaries and keep our commitment to the organizations that we support at the foundation, especially this year,” said Naji Khoury, president and CEO of Liberty Puerto Rico and Liberty Foundation’s president. “Thanks to this innovative technology, we were able to celebrate our key fundraising activity in an alternate way, while we continue making a positive impact in our society.”
The 23 organizations that received donations this year were Boys & Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico, Casa Familiar Virgilio Dávila, Casa de Niños Manuel Fernández Juncos, Centro Espibi, Centros Sor Isolina Ferré, Community Foundation USVI, Eco Exploratorio, Felisa Rincón de Gautier Foundation, Fundación Alas a la Mujer, Fundación A-Mar, Fundación CAP, Hogar Cuna San Cristóbal, Hogar Santa Teresita del Niño Jesús, Hogares Teresa Toda, Instituto Nueva Escuela, Jóvenes de Puerto Rico en Riesgo, Kinesis, Make Music Happen (Berklee in Puerto Rico), Movimiento para el Alcance de Vida Independiente (MAVI), Niños de Nueva Esperanza, Para La Naturaleza, Ponce Children’s Choir and the San Juan Children’s Choir.
“Thanks to our collaborators and sponsors’ generosity, we got the opportunity to support some wonderful Puerto Rican nonprofits we have helped in the past, in addition to four new ones from the island and one from the USVI -Community Foundation USVI - now that we are in that market after acquiring AT&T’s mobile operations,” added Yadira Valdivia, Liberty Foundation’s executive director. “This year’s donation represents another record for Liberty Foundation, and it’s one that we want to break again next year, and the year after because it will mean that the positive impact that we are having in our communities will continue to grow.”
About 165 players from over 50 cities around the world participated in the virtual golf game. They played the 9-hole golf invitational game with an Oculus Quest 2 virtual reality headset and controls that players received via mail once registered.
The Foundation will continue to help other nonprofit organizations throughout the entire year. The tournament has been raising funds for community organizations in Puerto Rico since 1996, when it raised $19,000 for the Hogar San José in Luquillo. Since then, the event has raised over $3.3 million for 28 nonprofit organizations throughout the island, including this year’s donation.