Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation Celebrates 47-Year Partnership with Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
ATLANTA, Dec. 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Though the spotlight will be on the two teams chosen to play in this year's Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, the #9 Florida State Seminoles and #18 Houston Cougars, there are other clear winners who benefit from this bowl game: one of those is the Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation and those in need who receive vision and hearing services from this agency.
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Widely respected as "College Football's Most Charitable Bowl Game," the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl was founded in 1968 as a way to raise money for the Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation. The Lighthouse is an Atlanta-based non-profit providing comprehensive vision and hearing services to uninsured and underserved residents in all 159 counties in Georgia. The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl has been a financial supporter and partner of the Lighthouse throughout its 47-year history.
"Vision and hearing are fundamental to a person's ability to learn and maintain productive, independent lives," explained Roberta Green, Executive Director of the Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation. "The services we provide are truly life-changing in helping people regain their ability to see and hear properly."
In the mid-1960s, Atlanta Lions Club member and philanthropist George P. Crumbley came up with the idea of a bowl game to raise money for his favorite charity, the Lighthouse. He formed a committee of Atlanta Lions and after two applications were declined, the NCAA Committee granted the charter in 1968 to create the first charitable bowl game, the Peach Bowl.
"Our philanthropic relationship with the Lions is the longest and most meaningful such relationship in our history," said Gary Stokan, Peach Bowl, Inc. President and CEO. "The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl was created as a charitable initiative and we have continued that legacy as college football's most charitable bowl game. We owe it to the Lions to have a deep and meaningful relationship that pays tribute to that great history."
"Our long-standing relationship with the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl has really been a blessing to the Lighthouse and has helped us provide so many necessary services for underserved Georgians," said Roberta. "We are proud of our legacy together and look forward to our opportunities for service in the years to come."
Lions Clubs International, with more than 1.4 million members worldwide, recently announced it will take over presenting sponsorship of the Bowl's game day parade. The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Parade presented by Lions Clubs International will march through downtown Atlanta the morning of Dec. 31, entertaining tens of thousands as it makes its way through Centennial Olympic Park on its way to the Georgia Dome. Lions Clubs members will be prominently featured throughout the parade, including the Lions Clubs co-Grand Marshall, LCI's First Vice President, Chancellor Bob Corlew of Milton, Tenn.
The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl will take place on Thursday, December 31 at 12 p.m. EST in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. ESPN will be televising the game as the Florida Seminoles and Houston Cougars compete for the George P. Crumbley Trophy, named for the founding "Father of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl."
About the Georgia Lions Lighthouse:
The Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to providing comprehensive vision and hearing services to Georgians in need. By partnering with over 300 healthcare professionals, the Lighthouse provides essential vision and hearing care, from screenings and education to complex vision surgeries and digital hearing aids, allowing Georgians of all ages to live healthier and more productive lives. The Lighthouse is honored to be the legacy charitable partner of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. To learn more, lionslighthouse.org.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Alison Kuhlke
Email
770-738-4679
Rena Olsen
Email
770-634-1279
SOURCE Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation
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