JACKSON, Miss. (October 24, 2018) – Tuesday evening, at the Allen Exploration Pro-Am Pairings Party held during the Sanderson Farms Championship, Carl Allen, Allen Exploration CEO, made a surprise repeat $500,000 donation to the Growing campaign for Children’s of Mississippi. Allen, and his wife, Gigi, from Dallas TX, are close personal friends with the Sandersons, and just last year donated a half million dollars to the campaign.
“My wife, Gigi, and I are fully committed to the children in Mississippi and especially those at Batson Children’s Hospital through the Sanderson Farms Championship,” said Allen. “We both recognize that you can’t effect change unless you effect it at the level of the children.”
The Allens are heavily involved in other children’s endeavors including the Wichita, Kansas based organization Envision, created to improve the lives of those with vision loss. Their philanthropy reaches outside the U.S. to children in the Bahamas, helping with their educational needs though the gift of technology.
The $100 million dollar Growing campaign will fund the construction of a major expansion of pediatric health care facilities at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, including a new tower and a dramatic renovation of the existing space. The new facilities will support Children’s of Mississippi’s world-class physicians and staff and the already excellent level of care they provide.
Construction plans for the expansion include an outpatient clinic, private neonatal and pediatric intensive care rooms for the state’s most fragile patients, an imaging suite designed for children, surgery suites, and a conference center designed to accommodate the many wonderful community partners, dignitaries, and volunteers who visit Children’s of Mississippi.
When complete, this project will give the children of Mississippi a modern, friendly, welcoming place where they can receive best-practice medical care. The heartfelt goal for the Growing campaign is to give all of Mississippi’s children a stronger chance for a full and healthy life.
“Our pediatric expansion and the effect it will have on the future of children’s health care in this state depends on compassionate and generous partners like Carl and Gigi Allen,” said Dr. LouAnn Woodward, UMMC vice chancellor for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine. “We can’t thank them enough for now two amazing announcements of gifts that will help us grow so Mississippi’s kids have the chance to grow up healthy and strong.”
Joe Sanderson and his wife, Kathy, are chairs of the Growing campaign and helped launch the effort in 2016 with a $10 million personal pledge. With tonight’s announcement from Allen, the Campaign for Children’s of Mississippi has raised $66.5 million of the $100 million goal. To get more information about the campaign or make a gift, visit growchildrens.org.
“Kathy, myself and everyone at Sanderson Farms could not be more grateful to Carl Allen and his family for their recent commitment to Mississippi’s children,” said Joe F. Sanderson, Jr., CEO and President of the Board of Directors of Sanderson Farms. “This happened because of our friendship with Carl and Gigi, not because we do business together. They came to Jackson and visited the hospital, were touched by what they saw and felt compelled to give back.”
The Sanderson Farms Championship, Mississippi’s only PGA TOUR event, is being hosted at The Country Club of Jackson this week by Century Club Charities. Funds raised through the tournament are donated to Friends of Children’s Hospital, among other Mississippi charities.
Tournament play for the 51st Sanderson Farms Championship begins this Thursday, October 25, and runs through Sunday, October 28.
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About Allen Exploration
Carl Allen formed Allen Exploration, LLC (AEX) in 2016 to research, explore and improve the world’s oceans. AEX searches for sunken history and strives to improve the oceans’ environment. The Allen Family Office invests in numerous asset classes including stocks, bonds, real estate, private equity, venture capital, direct investments, co-investments and angel investments. Allen Exploration also manages the AEX Global Tactical Asset Allocation Fund (“AXGT”).
About The Sanderson Farms Championship
The Sanderson Farms Championship is an annual stop on the PGA TOUR hosted by Century Club Charities, a non-profit, 501©(3) organization whose mission is to promote the game of golf for the benefit of charity. The tournament’s primary beneficiary is Friends of Children’s Hospital. The tournament has been part of the PGA TOUR schedule since 1968 and is now in its eighth year as a part of the FedExCup. Sanderson Farms (NASDAQ:SAFM), the nation’s third largest poultry producer based in Laurel, Miss., is the title sponsor.
About Century Club Charities
Century Club Charities is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt 501© 3 organization whose mission is to promote the game of golf for the benefit of Mississippi charities. Since 1994, Century Club Charities has served as the host organization for Mississippi’s PGA TOUR event, helping to raise over $13.5 million for statewide charities.
About Sanderson Farms
Sanderson Farms, Inc., founded in 1947, is engaged in the production, processing, marketing and distribution of fresh and frozen chicken and other prepared food items. Employing more than 15,000 employees in operations spanning five states and 17 different cities, Sanderson Farms is the third largest poultry producer in the United States. As a company, Sanderson Farms is committed to adopting a fresh approach in everything they do, not only where products are concerned, but company-wide as well. Though the company has grown in size, it still adheres to the same hometown values of honesty, integrity, and innovation that was established when the Sanderson family founded the company.
About Children’s of Mississippi
Children’s of Mississippi, part of the University of Mississippi Medical Center, encompasses all the pediatric services available at UMMC and at clinical sites throughout Mississippi. At the heart of these services is Batson Children’s Hospital, the state’s only hospital devoted exclusively to the care and treatment of sick and injured children. The Children’s of Mississippi network brings specialized clinical care for children to communities across the state, making it easier for families to get the treatment they need closer to home.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Jana Bell
Maris, West & Baker
jana.bell@mwb.com
601.842.8748
Annie Oeth
UMMC Division of Public Affairs
aoeth@umc.edu
601.984.1122
