The Things We Do For LUV

I really do love my Company and my job. OK, so maybe a little too much, but how many other companies let you spend the day out on a golf course raising money to help families with sick children?

For many years now, The Ronald McDonald House has been Southwest's charity of choice. It started in 1983 when the daughter of one of our pilots died of leukemia. He began volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House in Houston and since then Southwest Employees have worked hand in hand with this charity to help families with sick children.

Twenty years ago, Southwest launched a charity golf tournament called the "LUV Classic." Over the years, this tournament has raised more than $8 million for the RMH. The money is raised through sponsorships, travel raffles, entry fees, and the betting holes out on the golf course. That's where I come in.


At every par 3 hole along the course, SWA Employees "encourage" the golfers to make an additional donation to the RMH. How? Well, we draw a circle around the pin and offer to make a wager with the golfers. If they can hit their ball inside the circle from the tee box, then we'll double the amount they bet, OR they can donate their money to RMH. If they get their ball on the green, we call it even, OR they donate it to RMH. And if they don't make it to the green on their first shot, then we are happy to help them donate to the RMH. Well, no one dares ask for their money back, even if they land within the circle. We know this, they know this, so who are we fooling?

So instead, each team of volunteers comes up with their own gimmick for their par 3. Some offer backrubs, others kisses, and others offer things that aren't quite so family-friendly, so we'll just leave it at that. This year, Andi, Katie, Hollee, and I (along with our feather boas) decided to offer cartwheels and cheering in exchange for the donations from our golfers. We had a great time out there from noon to 7. From our 36 groups of golfers, we were able to raise $950 "all for the kids." This year, the tournament raised more than $650,000 for the Ronald McDonald House charity.