Waste Management Phoenix Open, Thunderbirds and TriWest Healthcare Alliance donate $50,000

The Waste Management Phoenix Open, the tournament host Thunderbirds and TriWest Healthcare Alliance donated $25,000 to USO Arizona and $25,000 to Arizona’s National Guard Emergency Relief Fund at a March presentation at USO Arizona’s Sky Harbor International Airport Terminal 2 location. Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, Arizona National Guard Adjutant General Major General Hugo Salazar, TriWest Healthcare Alliance Vice President Scott Celley and 2011 Waste Management Phoenix Open Tournament Chairman Mike McQuaid handled the check presentation.

Arizona’s National Guard Emergency Relief Fund is the Arizona Army National Guard’s emergency financial assistance organization dedicated to “Helping the Arizona National Guard take care of its own”. Arizona’s National Guard Emergency Relief Fund provides emergency financial assistance in the form of loans or grants, to soldiers and their dependents when there is a valid need.

Through public donations, the USO fulfills its mission of lifting the spirits of America’s troops and their families. The USO touches lives through an extensive range of programs at more than 150 centers in 27 countries and at hundreds of entertainment events each year. Thousands of USO volunteers do everything possible to provide a home away from home for our troops and to keep them connected to the families they left behind.

The 2011 Waste Management Phoenix Open was played January 31-February 7, 2011 at the TPC Scottsdale and was won by PGA TOUR professional Mark Wilson. The tournament host Thunderbirds have raised more than $70 million for charities, with more than $41 million generated since 2004.Title sponsor Waste Management, Inc., based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America.

For more information on Waste Management visit wm.com or thinkgreen.com. For more information on the Waste Management Phoenix Open, visit wmphoenixopen.com.