34th Annual Guiding Eyes Golf Classic with NY Giants Quarterback Eli Manning Raises More Than $650,000
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34th Annual Guiding Eyes Golf Classic with NY Giants Quarterback Eli Manning Raises More Than $650,000
Westchester County, N.Y. (July 8, 2011) – Guiding Eyes for the Blind, the internationally accredited nonprofit guide dog school, recently welcomed the return of NY Giants Quarterback Eli Manning for his fifth year as host of the 34th Annual Guiding Eyes Golf Classic.
The sold-out event was held June 12 and 13, 2011, at the Mount Kisco Country Club in Mount Kisco, N.Y., and the Whippoorwill Club in Armonk, N.Y. In all, 288 golfers teed off, raising more than $650,000 for the organization.
Founded in 1977 with the help of PGA legend Ken Venturi, the Golf Classic has raised more than $7 million since its inception. As part of the Classic, Guiding Eyes each year presents the Corcoran Cup – considered to be the “Masters” of blind golf – on June 12. Fourteen top U.S. Blind Golfers Association players from around the country vied for the coveted award. Once again, Patrick Browne, Jr. (of New Orleans) was named Corcoran Cup champion. Mario Tobia (of Mount Laurel, N.J.) took home the Cribari Trophy for his second place finish.
Bill McMahon (of Framingham, MA) was awarded the Joe Spoonster Trophy for most improved from the previous year. Jim Baker (of Nashville, TN) won the McFarland Trophy, which is given to the competitor who exceeds his or her point target by the most points. The 2011 Ken Venturi Coach of the Year Award went to Kyle Feeley, who coaches Jim Baker.
For the second subsequent year, Gatorade was the exclusive sponsor of the Corcoran Cup. The PepsiCo-owned product also joined returning participant Entergy Nuclear Northeast as a Diamond Sponsor of the fundraising tournament.
Eli Manning was introduced to Guiding Eyes Golf Classic through family friend and current tournament champion Patrick Browne, Jr. Browne taught Manning and his son, Patrick III, how to golf as boys. The elder Browne reunited with Manning at the recent tournament, instructing him on the nuances of blind golf. The Super Bowl champion then hid his eyes with a blindfold and sank a putt from at least 10 feet out.
“This was my fifth year hosting Guiding Eyes for the Blind’s Golf Classic and it’s very special to me. I look forward to it every year,” Manning said. “We’ve had fun and we’ve done a lot of great work. It’s definitely been rewarding. To see some of the people who’ve gotten use out of Guiding Eyes’ guide dogs and how it has changed their lives is unbelievable.”
The 2011 Guiding Eyes Golf Classic gained major support from the following individual and corporate sponsors:
Diamond Sponsors: Entergy Nuclear Northeast and Gatorade
Presenting Sponsor: The Journal News
Platinum Sponsors: The Canine Companies, SafeHarbor Risk Management / Kinloch Insurance Services
Gold Sponsors: A. Devito & Son, Atria Senior Living Group, Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, JP Morgan Chase, and Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
Silver Sponsors: Aero Hardware, CBS Sports Sales, Citibank, Stanley Cohen, Harriet and Bob Druskin, Fox Broadcasting Company, Freeh Sporkin & Sullivan, LLP, Friends from Vero Beach, Albert and Carol Hallac, Paul Holland, The Justich Family Foundation, Ken Nilsen, Rolex USA, Skanska USA Civil Inc., The Stewart Family, TBS Shipping, Welby Brady & Greenblatt, LLP, and Wilson and Son Jewelers
Guiding Eyes for the Blind is located at 611 Granite Springs Road in Yorktown Heights, N.Y. For more information, please call 914.243.2208 or visit www.guidingeyes.org.
About Guiding Eyes for the Blind
Guiding Eyes for the Blind (www.guidingeyes.org), an internationally accredited nonprofit guide dog school, was founded in 1956 to enrich the lives of blind and visually impaired men and women by providing them with the freedom to travel safely, thereby assuring greater independence, dignity and expanded horizons of opportunity. Since that time, Guiding Eyes has become one of the foremost guide dog schools in the world, graduating more than 7,300 guide dog teams. It provides superbly bred Guiding Eyes dogs, professional training and follow-up support services to students at no cost to them and depends on contributions to fulfill its mission. The comprehensive cost of breeding, raising, preparing, training, and supporting a Guiding Eyes team is $45,000. Guiding Eyes for the Blind's Headquarters and Training Center is located in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., and the Canine Development Center is in Patterson, N.Y.
Press Contact:
Barbara Wollenberg
Co-Communications
914-666-0066
