| Tweet |
Organizers of the Verizon Heritage tournament are developing a network of volunteers and contacts to help it survive and find new sponsorship dollars once Verizon ends its partnership next year.
Organizers and volunteers are reaching out to local businesses to talk about the various sponsorship options available through the Heritage Classic Foundation.
“We're off to a good start, but we still need more volunteers who are willing to devote a small amount of time to meet with local businesses,” sales director Bill Wagner said in a press release.
Jack Wilson is heading up the foundation’s volunteer recruitment efforts, and he has appealed to local networks and civic groups for help, including leadership alumni from the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce.
“The more people we can get to make a few calls, the better are our chances for success in saving this tournament, which is so important to our economic and societal interests,” Wilson said in the release.
The foundation had about one-third of the volunteers it needed as of mid-November. The goal is to enlist teams of two people each to make calls to a few businesses soliciting sponsorship at any level the business finds affordable.
The future of the event has been uncertain since Verizon announced earlier this fall it was ending its sponsorship deal after this year’s tournament. Verizon and its predecessors have been involved with the tournament for 20 years. Organizers planned to hold a kick-off meeting for volunteers Nov. 13.
