The putters are hard to miss.
Several Hawks players have putt-putt golf accessories — in volt green, of course — in their lockers. The locker room has even been known to be used as a make-shift putting green during downtime.
Kyle Korver is in the middle of it all.
The Hawks guard is part of a charity event called Putt! Putt! Putt! which will be held on the roof of Ponce City Market on April 3. The miniature golf tournament and amusement event is being organized between the Kyle Korver Foundation, Plywood People and the Jamestown Charitable Foundation and will benefit 15 other non-profits in Atlanta.
The event will be the first one held on the remodeled roof on Ponce City Market that pays homage to the old Ponce de Leon amusement park.
“Everyone does a golf tournament, but they are so long,” Korver said. “We’ve done golf tournaments as a foundation. It’s the whole-day thing. We were like, ‘What if we did putt-putt?’ Eighteen holes, each hole is five minutes and a lot more people could play. I think we could have a lot more things going on and it could be a really fun night.”
The event will be held from 4-10 p.m. with several Hawks players expected to participate. In addition to the 18-hole tournament, there will be boardwalk-style amusement games and rides, including a giant slide within the signature marquee sign of the market. There will also be stations for drinks from the City Winery and Monday Night Brewing and food from the chef of Hop’s Chicken and H&F Burger and live music with the city skyline as a backdrop.
What makes the event unique is that it will benefit 18 non-profit organizations — one for each hole. Each charity will be designated a hole and asked to raise money for the event, which will then be matched from the proceeds. The goal is to raise $100,000. As of last week, two weeks after the event was announced, nearly half the amount had already been reached. The event received 56 applications from non-profits.
“The bigger story in this — and why it’s more fun that a normal fundraiser — is because there are going to be 18 organizations that benefit collectively from this one night,” said Jeff Plywood People founder Jeff Shinabarger. “I think that is really a powerful story because it’s very rare that non-profits work together for the greater good.
“That’s the power of what is happening this night. The fact Kyle is using his influence to do this is an incredible story. The fact that Ponce City Market is giving us their entire roof top in their launch event to be able to support local charities, it’s all about making things better in this city.”
With 3-point shooting specialist Korver’s involved, the number 3 will of course be featured. First-tier tickets are $33 each, covering snacks, two beverages, access to the concert and sideline views of the tournament. Second-tier tickets are $333 for a team of three players in the tournament. Third-tier tickets are $3,333 for a team of three players and includes admission into the tournament alongside a celebrity teammate for the tournament’s celebrity round.
Tickets are on sale and more information is available at www.putt-putt-putt.com. Korver filmed a promotional video for the event that gives the first glimpse of the rooftop at (https://www.generosity.com/community-fundraising/putt-putt-putt-kyle-korver-plywood-ponce-city—2).
Korver hopes the event will bring to light the number of initiatives in the city.
“You leave and you say ‘Wow, this is going on in the city? This project is going on? That is so cool. It’s a great idea.’ We can raise money for them but also get the word out that this is happening in our city, if you want to get on board,” he said. “All these ideas are so creative and so cool.”
The Kyle Korver Foundation has a mission to break the poverty cycle. His foundation has worked with Plywood People before in Chicago and sparked a friendship between Korver and Shinabarger. The Atlanta-based non-profit helps start-up businesses and charities aimed at bettering the local community. The Jamestown Foundationnon is a non-profit organization established by property owner and developer Jamestown.
“We have this phrase that we keep communicating: better is possible,” Shinabarger said. “The reason and the purpose beyond why people do these projects that are so hard in our city is because there is a chance they could change things. Even if they make things a little better, we’re all better off because of it.”
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