Red Sox Children’s Hospital Celebrity Golf Classic tees off on February 20
On Friday, Feb. 20, the 2004 and 2007 World Champion Boston Red Sox will again lend their time and talents to raise awareness and funds for The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. This Children’s Hospital’s signature fundraising event takes place on the beautiful championship golf courses of The Forest Country Club, located at 6100 Club Boulevard in Fort Myers.
Many residents of The Forest Country Club devote tireless hours to the events each year and look forward to opening their courses to host veteran Red Sox players as well as some of the hottest new rookie talent each year.
Though the final celebrity player list will not be released until the day before the tournament, past participants have included fan-favorites Jason Varitek, Tim Wakefield, Jon Lester, Jonathan Papelbon, Curt Schilling and Daisuke Matsuzaka; newly-elected Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Rice, former Red Sox great Luis Tiant and 2007 World Series hero Josh Beckett.
In addition to the golf tournament, fans can also attend The Boston Red Sox “Tee Party,” being held at The Forest Country Club on Thursday, Feb. 19 from 6 to 8 p.m. (the evening prior to the golf tournament).
The Boston Red Sox “Tee Party,” this year celebrated with a Mardi Gras theme, allows tournament participants and their guests to mix and mingle, enjoy cocktails and hors d’oeuvres and bid on one-of-a-kind sports memorabilia items, trips, game tickets and restaurant gift certificates.
This year’s live auction will include spectacular travel and ticket packages to three of the most celebrated sports events of the year: The Masters at Augusta, The Kentucky Derby (including tickets to the exclusive Mint Julep Celebrity Gala) and The Final Four Championship in Detroit.
This year’s event MVPs (Most Valuable Patients) will be Neonatal Intensive Care Unit success stories Will and Olivia Galloway, 7-year-old twins who will be attending the events along with their parents Robert and Tracey Galloway, all of Fort Myers.
All funds raised will once again be matched dollar-for-dollar by a generous philanthropist and long-time Boston Red Sox fan. Funds raised last year (also directed toward the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) totaled more than $655,000.
Sharon A. MacDonald, Chief Foundation Officer for Lee Memorial Health System, praised the commitment by the Boston Red Sox players and management and the generous matching opportunity offered each year.
“It is so important that we are able to keep families together and close to home when they are faced with the critical care needs of a premature infant,” said MacDonald. “We are so grateful to our matching donors, the entire Boston Red Sox Organization and The Forest Country Club residents for their continued commitment to supporting the lifesaving mission of The Children’s Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.”
Prime corporate sponsorships, golf slots and “Tee Party” tickets are now available.
For more information on the Boston Red Sox Children’s Hospital Celebrity Classic, or tickets to the “Tee-Party,” call the Lee Memorial Health System Foundation office at 239-985-3550 or visit www.leememorial.org/foundation .