Bank of America Announces Community Events and Programs for 2008 Bank of America Open

CHICAGO, April 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Bank of America today announced a series of community events and programs for the 2008 Bank of America Open golf tournament that will provide opportunities for local golf enthusiasts and assist area charities in raising additional funds. Organizers hosting Media Day today at The Glen Club, site of the Nationwide Tour Tournament, shared particulars of new programs for 2008 including a Memorial Day adaptive golf clinic for U.S. Armed Forces veterans and Charity Days at the Glenview National Nine.

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"Bank of America has a strong tradition of supporting excellence in sports and contributing significantly to communities and charitable organizations," said Bank of America Illinois Market President David Rudis. "The Bank of America Open allows us to achieve all those goals at once as we welcome professional golf to Chicago and offer multiple opportunities for the entire community to benefit from its arrival."

Red, White & Blue Golf Clinic

As tournament week opens on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26, Bank of America will welcome approximately 25 wounded veterans from the U.S. Armed Forces for an adaptive golf clinic. Hosted in conjunction with Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association (GLASA), Hines VA Hospital and the Wounded Warriors Disabled Sports Project (WWDSP), the clinic will provide tailored golf instruction for wounded veterans on the practice range of The Glen Club.

The Red, White & Blue Golf Clinic will be held on Monday, May 26 beginning at 11 a.m. followed by a practice session and lunch.

In recognition of all service men and women in the U.S. Armed Forces, the Bank of America Open will provide free general admission to all military members -- retired or active -- who present valid I.D. at the admission gates. Members of the military will be granted complimentary entrance throughout tournament week.

Charity Days at Glenview National Nine

The tournament will also extend its charity program in 2008 by organizing Charity Golf Days at the Glenview National Nine. Bank of America will donate full days of reserved tee times (6 a.m. to 6 p.m.) at the nine-hole golf course to charities affiliated with the tournament. Each charity has the opportunity to organize a fundraising event at the Glenview National Nine Wednesday, May 21 through Sunday, May 25, one week prior to the tournament.

Charity Match Play

Charities not affiliated with the tournament can also benefit by participating in the new Charity Match Play program. Donors can submit donations for their charities of choice to the tournament and the tournament will match the effort with complimentary grounds passes and hospitality tickets. The charity can use the donated items to raise funds, host clients or thank donors. Opportunity Enterprises, a non-profit organization based in Northwest Indiana, has already generated $9,000 through the program.

Affiliated Charities

Through the Bank of America Open, Bank of America continues its tradition of partnering with local charities to raise funds for their causes. GLASA joins the tournament for the second consecutive year as the official charity. As such, GLASA will host a day of golf for disabled children, their families and GLASA supporters at the Glenview National Nine. They will also be represented throughout tournament week as volunteers from the organization assist throughout the course.

Other charities intricately involved with and beneficiaries of donations from the tournament are Clearbrook, ALS Les Turner Foundation, Kohl Children's Museum, CDGA Sunshine Through Golf Foundation, Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation, Chicago Police Memorial Foundation and Shelter, Inc.

Glen Town Center Wine Tasting Festival

The Glen Town Center will host a Wine Tasting Festival on tournament weekend, Friday, May 30 - Sunday, June 1. All Bank of America Open ticket holders will be entitled to one free beverage and access to the festival's VIP tent. Guests will enjoy sampling a large variety of wines and delicacies from local dining establishments. More details on hours, features and free parking for the festival are available online at http://www.theglentowncenter.com/.

Opportunities for Local Players to Join Field

In continuing its effort to provide opportunities for local golfers, the Bank of America Open will again host an open qualifying event in conjunction with the Illinois PGA on Tuesday of tournament week. On May 27, 14 Illinois golfers will earn spots among the full field of 156 golfers competing for the Bank of America Open championship title. The open qualifier will be held at Bolingbrook Golf Course beginning at 7 a.m.

In addition to the tradition of open qualifiers, Bank of America introduced a new opportunity this year for amateur golfers. The Bank of America Open Amateur Invitational welcomed 32 golfers with qualified registered handicaps to compete for an exemption into the 2008 tournament on Monday, April 21. Mike Natale of Darien, Ill. won the round at Oak Park Country Club and will appear in the Bank of America Open field when the first round of competition opens on Thursday, May 29.

The Bank of America Open will tee off tournament competition on Thursday, May 29 at The Glen Club in Glenview. Complete details on tournament play, related events, charitable programs and tickets are available at http://www.bankofamericaopen.com/.

Bank of America Open

PGA TOUR golf will make its annual Chicago appearance as the Nationwide Tour's Bank of America Open arrives in suburban Glenview, Ill. May 29-June 1. The tournament, whose original roots stem back 70 years to the Chicago Open, will welcome a full field of 156 professional golfers ranging from the up-and-comers to seasoned PGA TOUR veterans. The Bank of America Open offers week-long tournament passes for $10, free parking and the best opportunity to obtain front row seats to professional golf. Held at The Glen Club, the Bank of America Open offers a $750,000 prize purse -- one of the largest on the Nationwide Tour which sends its top 25 money leaders to the PGA TOUR each year. For more information, visit http://www.pgatour.com/.

Bank of America

Bank of America is one of the world's largest financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk-management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving more than 59 million consumer and small business relationships with more than 6,100 retail banking offices, nearly 18,500 ATMs and award-winning online banking with nearly 25 million active users. Bank of America is the No. 1 overall Small Business Administration (SBA) lender in the United States and the No. 1 SBA lender to minority-owned small businesses. The company serves clients in more than 150 countries and has relationships with 99 percent of the U.S. Fortune 500 companies and 83 percent of the Fortune Global 500.

Bank of America Corporation stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

http://www.bankofamerica.com/