Gazette coverage plans for Zach Johnson event in Cedar Rapids

My Sunday, July 31, column in The Gazette deals with coverage we are giving the Zach Johnson Foundation Classic on Monday, Aug. 1, at the Elmhurst Country Club in Cedar Rapids, to which Johnson belongs. This is a pro-am golf tournament but with strong community ties beyond the golf course.

A lot of people at The Gazette and KCRG-TV9 - including Gazette sports Editor J.R. Ogden, SourceMedia Group sports content manager Nick Pugliese, KCRG sports director John Campbell and the entire KCRG programming and production staffs - have put a lot of work into showing you this community event that will bring a lot of celebrities to Cedar Rapids, ranging from current professional golfers to former NFL Super Bowl champion and two-time most valuable player Kurt Warner. Warner and Johnson graduated from the same Cedar Rapids high school, although in different years.

The Gazette and www.TheGazette.com plans:

-- Sunday, July 31: Column in our sports section by Mike Hlas, Gazette columnist who has followed Johnson's career.

-- Monday, Aug. 1: Special four-page wrap in The Gazette newspaper with bios and information about the tournament, a handy guide at .com, photo updates from the event and live coverage via Twitter from Mike, Nick and K.J. Pilcher.

-- Tuesday, Aug. 2: A recap in the newspaper featuring stories by the trio of reporters who will keep you informed and entertained on Monday and photos; plus an online recap.

KCRG 9.2 television will have live coverage from the tournament; www.KCRG.com will carry a live stream of that telecast.

The charity benefiting from this event is Kids on Course, a program that will use activities to help improve learning experiences that students can use outside the classroom, to celebrate personal and academic successes and to involve families in students' education. It was developed with the Cedar Rapids Community School District and United Way of East Central Iowa. Pilot programs are to launch at Harrison and Van Buren elementary schools in the next school year.

I make the point in the column that this event transcends sports, even though it is a sporting event with a lot of athletes from various walks of life. It is about someone giving back to the community after finding success and an attempt to improve the way our children learn in school.

Ruth White, a well-respected Cedar Rapids educator, is the program director for Kids on Course. The program's annual budget is expected to be around $350,000. Johnson has pledged more than $1 million and people helping Johnson with the Aug. 1 event went into it thinking it could raise more than $500,000.

Announcement of Kids on Course.

Additional coverage, from Sports Desk:  Johnson talks with John Campbell via phone about the event.