Humana makes a big local donation

For those of you wondering what exactly the local impact might be from Humana taking over at the desert’s PGA Tour event, some of that answer is in this statement from a Humana press release.

“The Humana Foundation, charitable arm of Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM), will distribute $500,000 to Coachella Valley charities to recognize the collective efforts of thousands of people who wore Humana pedometers during the recently completed Humana Challenge PGA Tour golf tournament.”

That’s half a million bucks Humana will be pumping into local charities.

The money comes from the waking aspect of the Humana Challenge’s health and wellness vision during the recent tournament. Walkers teamed with employees and volunteers at Eisenhower Medical Center to upload nearly 84 million steps during the week. Humana pledged to donate $1 for every 200 steps taken, which equates to a donation of approximately $420,000.

Humana decided to round that up to $500,000.

Which charities get the money will be determined by the Humana Foundation and Desert Classic Charities, the non-profit that handles the local organizing aspects of the tournament and has distributed charity money locally from past tournaments.

Fans at the tournament had a chance to get a free pedometer and count their steps while following their favorite players. The information could be downloaded for the program. Just over 12,000 pedometers were handed out during the week and at surrounding events, Humana says.

So for those who were concerned that Humana or the Clinton Foundation would not produce local charity money, here’s at least one example of how there will still be charity funds flowing to the desert from the event.