John Mitty Tuesday, September 11, 2012 |
Sports Legends Gather for Celebrity-Amateur Golf Competition Hosted at Friar’s Head,
To Raise money for MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership
Riverhead, NY (September 10, 2012) – Some of the greatest champions in sports, entertainment and business gathered to honor Bill Russell’s work in mentoring at the 2ndannual MENTOR’s Champions Golf Challenge presented by Ernst & Young LLP and Roundtable Investment Partners LLC on September 9 – 10 at the prestigious Friar’s Head, Long Island. The exclusive two-day event also featured a Celebrity Roast hosted by award winning actor Samuel L. Jackson and Golf Channel’s David Feherty. The event was co-hosted by Karen Russell, daughter of Bill, and Wall Street leader Geoff Boisi. Russell was originally schedule to attend, but remained home for personal reasons.
Russell, calling into the event’s award ceremony said, “This weekend’s event was a great way to raise money and awareness for mentoring. I am very proud that so many of my friends were able to come out and support this very worthwhile cause. Hopefully everybody had a good time, and I look forward to getting out there to share some laughs with everybody next year.”
“You could really feel the love for my father these past two days,” said Karen Russell. “It was great to see how my dad has touched all of their lives in different ways. The fact that each of them have gone on to be mentors for so many other people is the very essence of what mentoring is all about – you’re impacted, and then you go on to make an impact on others.”
Among the attendees were NBA greats Charles Barkley, Julius Erving, Alonzo Mourning, John Havlicek, Clyde Drexler, Sam Jones, Rick Barry, George Gervin, Artis Gilmore and Bruce Bowen; football Hall of Famers Jim Brown and Steve Largent, broadcasters Ahmad Rashad and Bill Raftery; Boston College hockey coach Jerry York; and Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson.
During this year’s tournament Nancy Altobello, Americas Vice Chair of People, Ernst & Young LLP, presented the first Ernst & Young LLP Mentor of the Year Award to Nicole Griffith, Assistant Director and lead recruiter for the Financial Services Office of Ernst & Young LLP in New York. Griffith received the award for her longstanding commitment to youth mentoring through iMentor and for demonstrating qualities associated with being a mentor such as patience, understanding, openness, helping mentees reach their goals, and acknowledging that mentee relationships help the mentor grow as well.
“Mentoring has been a priority of Ernst & Young’s for a long time and teaming with Bill and Geoff on this event is a perfect match,” Altobello said. “We also are pleased to present our first Mentor of the Year Award. Nicole is the ideal recipient. Whether she is helping new members of her team at Ernst & Young adapt to life at the firm, reaching out to African American high school students through the Cornell Alumni Ambassador Network, or helping her mentees become college ready, Nicole believes that creating a strong personal connection is one of the ways she can make a difference.”
Proceeds from the 2nd Annual MENTOR’s Champions Golf Challenge presented by Ernst & Young LLP and Roundtable Investment Partners LLC will benefit MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership, the unifying champion for youth mentoring in the United States, which Boisi founded with Raymond G. Chambers 20 years ago. Bill Russell has served as a Founding Board Member. In addition, the tournament will benefit MENTOR’s local affiliates: the Mentoring Partnerships of Long Island and New York City.
“I would like to thank all of our participants and sponsors that helped make this year’s MENTOR’s Champions Golf Challenge a great success,” said Geoff Boisi. “This weekend was about having fun, but more importantly, it was about raising the awareness of the need for mentors across the country.”
Photo Credit: Chaz Niell
jmitty@longislandyellowpages.com Appears In: Press Releases
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