Clarksville, TN – Taylor Capouch and Kelly Gibson were in town recently for the 25th Annual Jumper’s Cup at Clarksville Country Club, a fun-filled event that pits Tennessee golfers against Georgia golfers and raises money for a good cause.
The Kelly Gibson Foundation was born in the hours after 2005’s hurricane Katrina. Gibson was playing on the PGA Tour. The 5th-generation NOLA guy and the only New Orleans player on the tour at the time suddenly received dozens of texts from friends who were displaced.
“I felt compelled to be involved and try to help,” Gibson said. “My first thought was of the First-Responders. Their houses were underwater, yet they were expected to save the city. I started the foundation with two catering trucks. One caterer said I can get you food and water, I said I’ll take it. Initially, we fed the Coast Guard in Bucktown for eight straight days.
“Subsequently, we fed 50,000 first responders in two months. That’s how we got started. Then in 2010 we started the junior golf tour. It has been a life-changing thing for me. Taylor has been our Executive Director for ten years. We do 26 events per year, including 1 international event in December. We award 25 scholarships per year based on character. 255 kids ages 7 – 22 are on the tour this year. It’s a mentoring program. It’s a golf course classroom.
The third pillar of the foundation is military causes. We host a military event in Covington, LA, during Veterans Week. We have a scholarship program with that as well, and award about $60,000 to 15 or 20 sons or daughters or grandchildren of military, active or non-active.”
Gibson met Clarksville’s own Wayne Pace in Florida. “We both love people, having a good time, telling stories. Wayne has become a mentor for me in the business world. He supports our foundation. He asked if he could dedicate proceeds from the Jumper Cup to our foundation. Wayne is a superstar in my world. People love being around him.”
Capouch shared some information. “On our Junior Tour since 2010, we’ve provided 392 scholarships, totaling $899,800. Our military program works with high school Juniors – 5th-year college seniors. There, we have given $251,000 to 97 kids. We will surpass $300,000 this year.
“We’re a programming foundation. We produce 23 Junior Golf tournaments and then 3 military events. We do one fundraiser, a high-end gala at the Waldorf in NOLA, and a golf tournament the next day. We have a strong group of volunteers that make this possible.”
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