If you love golf or if you love pets or if you support animal rescue work, then the John Deere PGA Classic, beginning July 5th, in East Moline, should be penciled in your calendar! As part of this multi-million dollar event, John Deere and other business sponsors, are financially supporting the ―Birdies for Charity‖ program. This year, Friends of Strays is a registered John Deere charity; with your help, the shelter can receive a cash award, and you can have a chance to win one of more than a hundred prizes, -- the top prize, a NEW CAR!

In a few weeks, Friends of Strays will send out Birdies for Charity Pledge cards. You'll have an opportunity to make a one-time donation to Friends of Strays, or, you can pledge pennies (or more!) for birdies. For every birdie in this year's John Deere Golf Tournament, you pledge would be the total number of those birdies multiplied by the penny amout you pledge. Last year, 1,914 birdies were scored in the Tournament. If you had pledged one penny for each of those birdies for FOS, your total pledge would be $19.14; two cents per birdie scored -- $38.28, and so on.

When you pledge -- either as a single donation, or as a pledge amount based on birdies -- you'll also be asked to make your best guess on the number of birdies that you think will be scored in the 2010 Tournment, July 5th through 11th, 2010. First prize for the correct number of birdies scored is a new car! Other prizes include a John Deere riding mower and more than 100 other wonderful prizes.

Absolutely 100 percent of all donations pledged to FOS will be given to FOS; John Deere assumes all promotional and administrative costs. Every dollar donated goes to the designated charity. In 2009, the Tournament raised more than $4.63 million dollars for 500 local and regional charities.

The birdie number for Friends of Strays is 1689. Watch for your pledge cards.

For complete rules, and information on the Tournament, go to: http://www.birdiesforcharity.com While you're visiting the site, look at the Birdie Tournament history and decide on your best guess for the number of Birdies in this year's Tournament.

The John Deere Birdies for Charity organization offers a special bonus donation for non-profits who participate every year; this bonus is based on the dollar amount of pledges received in the previous Birdies for Charity year. Let's make our first year a foundation to build on. If you do not receive you pledge card by mid-May, please email or call the Shelter at (815) 872-7387.

Working together, we can really make pennies count!