RMC raises $1.61M for charities in 2023 in effort to end Detroit's digital divide

Detroit — The 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic raised $1.61 million for charity, with more than a third of that being earmarked to the PGA Tour tournament's chief mission of ending the city's digital divide by 2025.

The RMC first was played in 2019, and since then, it has raised more than $8.4 million for local charities. Of that, $4.3 million has gone to the tournament's "Changing the Course" initiative, launched in 2020 to eradicate the digital divide in Detroit, which had been the least-connected big city in the United States.

The tournament, through the Connect 313 initiative featuring numerous city partnerships, is on track to reach its goal of ending the digital divide within the next two years. Through "Changing the Course," the Rocket Mortgage Classic has set out to get every Detroit resident access to high-speed internet, digital devices and digital training.

“With the support of the Rocket Mortgage Classic’s ‘Changing the Course’ initiative, more than 141,000 Detroit households have enrolled in the ACP (Affordable Connectivity Program)," Laura Grannemann, board chair for Connect 313, said of the federal program which provides monthly subsidies for internet access, as well as one-time stipends for digital devices."

Grannemann also is a member of the Rocket Giving Fund board and executive director of the Rocket Community Fund.

"But that’s just the beginning," Grannemann added. "Through our partnership with Connect 313, we are working hard to provide every Detroit resident the resources they need to connect and thrive.”

Said Vittoria Katanski, director of Connect 313, who has overseen upgrades to 22 neighborhood technology hubs in Detroit: “Connect 313 starts with the premise that an internet connection is no longer a luxury, but a needed utility for success in the 21st century. Detroit residents deserve access to affordable high-speed internet, appropriate digital devices and the opportunity to learn critical digital skills.

"With the support of our partners, we have strategically placed neighborhood tech hubs across the city to provide these services free of charge within a short walking distance for any resident.”

The 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic's charity disbursement includes $581,400 to Connect 313, as well as $70,000 each to Midnight Golf, the Detroit Police Athletic League and First Tee Greater Detroit.

The Rocket Giving Fund also is donating $75,000 to the Greater Palmer Park Community and $888,105 to Golf & Give, a collection of nonprofit organizations in Detroit and the surrounding communities.

The charity dollars were raised through ticket sales as well as the tournament's AREA 313, the signature stretch on the course for which Rocket Mortgage donates $2,500 for each eagle-3 on the par-5 14th, $10,000 for each ace-1 on the par-3 15th, and $2,500 for each birdie-3 on the par-4 16th. Players triggered $167,500 in donations from AREA 313 during the 2023 tournament, won by Rickie Fowler.

The 2023 charitable donation was up from $1.57 million in 2022.

"It is hard to believe that we have already celebrated the fifth anniversary of the Rocket Mortgage Classic," said Jason Langwell, executive director of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. "And the one thing that we are most proud of, as we look back at everything we have achieved so far, is the incredible impact this event has made on Detroit."

The 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic is set for June 29 through July 2, at Detroit Golf Club.

In other charity reports from major pro-golf stops in Michigan in 2023:

▶The LPGA's Meijer Classic, held at Blythefield Country Club in Belmont outside Grand Rapids, donated $1.25 million to Simply Give, to feed the hungry in Greater Grand Rapids.

▶The Champions Tour's Ally Challenge, held at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club, donated $1.189 million for charities in Greater Flint.

▶The LPGA's Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, held at Midland Country Club, donated $237,000 to a collection of charities in the Great Lakes Bay Region.

tpaul@detroitnews.com

@tonypaul1984