Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament, announced Wednesday that the Club and its partners at AT&T, Bank of America and IBM are making a combined contribution of $10 million to the Augusta community that will help spur the redevelopment of the nearby Harrisburg and Laney Walker neighborhoods, a noteworthy but historically underserved portion of the city’s urban core.

This gift – and a desire to provide additional organizational resources in the future – will support the ongoing efforts led by the Medical College of Georgia Foundation, the Community Foundation for the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) and the Boys & Girls Club of the CSRA. The four $2.5 million donations will provide the majority of funding for the first phase of this transformational project, which includes the construction of an innovative community center and a new headquarters for the Boys & Girls Club.

“This contribution reaffirms our commitment to the City of Augusta, which has so generously supported us for decades,” Ridley said. “We are also extremely fortunate to have partners like AT&T, Bank of America and IBM who support projects that are foundational to better educational and economic outcomes for the community.”

When complete, the new community center will provide a space for those organizations already making a difference in the Harrisburg and Laney Walker neighborhoods. It will also offer residents access to quality healthcare, a literacy center, educational support through mentoring and future workforce development, food and nutrition programs, and much more. A new headquarters for the Boys & Girls Club will allow for much-needed facilities to serve youth in the Augusta community and will help the organization collaborate with other groups in the surrounding area with similar missions.

Ridley added that funds will be managed through the Community Foundation, and every dollar will go to the success of the project. A date for groundbreaking will be determined shortly, ideally by April 2021.

This announcement represents the latest collaboration between Augusta National and the Community Foundation, who annually work together to support local charities through proceeds from the Masters Tournament. Earlier this year, the two coordinated a joint contribution of $1 million to support efforts led by Augusta University for local expansion of COVID-19 testing, and $1 million to the CSRA COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, launched by the Community Foundation and United Way of the CSRA.